Have Yourself A Little Merry Christmas
by raelee514
Summary: Lance/Keith facing their own prides, their own stupidity, and the power of Christmas...  will be finished by Christmas I hope   Rated M because of sexual tension and language and fun times, I hope.
1. Prologue to Chapter 2

**Prologue**

"Are you sleeping with her?"

Lance ended the communication with Lyra and swiveled in his chair and stared at Keith, eyes wide. "What?"

"Answer me?"

"Where..."

"I'm sick of this Lance. You're fucking around with her every chance you get aren't you. Whenever you go to Lyra, it's been going on since those damn flowers."

"Farla and I..."

"Say it, Lance, say it."

"No," Lance yelled, standing up, pressing into Keith's space, using his three inch height advantage and pushing Keith up against the door to Lance's room. "I'm not going to say it because this insanity, Keith. There is nothing go on with me and Farla."

"Bullshit. You're always talking with her, sneaking around behind my back. You haven't had time for anything lately. We barely see each other."

"And that's my fault! You're the one always in your office, doing paperwork, or off chaperoning Allura somewhere, playing the public boyfriend letting Arus believe she's going to marry the Commander of Voltron Force. I'm not accusing you of sleeping around, if anyone should be.."

Keith's fist blackened his left eye then making Lance stagger back, his legs hitting the computer chair and almost causing him to fall. "Then what the hell is up with you and Farla, why all the secret communications, why all the encrypted messages? Did you think I wouldn't figure it out, Lance!"

"Jesus, Keith this is... I can't tell you but come on I wouldn't..."

"You wouldn't? You wouldn't what cheat on me? Yeah that's never happened?"

Lance stared at Keith. "What are talking about when we were sixteen? Because for fucksake Keith you cheated on me then too if I recall right."

"You first."

"You out of fucking spite!"

"I can't, I can't look at your right now," Keith yelled and hit the button that opened the door. He walked out.

Lance stared, watched his door close automatically on its own after a minute, and ran a hand over his face. What the hell had happened? He'd been on his computer, trying to do what he could to help out Farla with some Garrison red tape and the advice of a friend in regards to the Garrison soldier she'd fallen for and was planning to marry. She'd been asking him for help for a few weeks now, the Garrison was threatening to take away her girlfriends rank, or re-deploy her. The book had no rules against the fraternization with the locals on the planet they were stationed at. In fact on Earth Lance had seen it happen a million times and that was the hardline he'd been taking with the Garrison on Farla and Lydia's behalf for the last few weeks. To have Keith barge in and accuse him of having some long term affair with Farla? It was asinine, Farla was like Allura to him, a best friend, a sister he never had, he'd die for her, he loved her but to be with her? He didn't know where this had come from, yeah he'd had to say no to Keith a few times on meeting him for a quickie but it was more than Keith had been saying no to him because Keith had to do paperwork, or accompany Allura somewhere.

Keith's public relationship with Allura was way more grating than his private relationship with Farla. Also for Keith to throw his high school cheating in his face... And yeah okay maybe he shouldn't have pointed Keith went out and cheated on him just to get back at him. But he was didn't know why they'd been fighting about cheating in the first place.

_Two Weeks Later_

Lance wouldn't talk to him, and Keith didn't know what to do about it. Keith felt justified in his fears and his worry. Lance and he hadn't had sex in months, they kept missing each other, they'd been arguing about stupid things for over three months. Not only professionally, which is where the bulk of their arguments happened, because Lance's out of the box thinking was usually too reckless, to impatient to take seriously but he expected people to listen to him anyway. No it'd been privately too and maybe it'd been the lack of time together, alone, to touch and reconnect on a personal and spiritual level.

They'd always argued, they'd argued since the day met at eleven years old and became an unlikely duo. No one saw their friendship coming. The quiet, bookish Kogane kid and the wild, jump off the roofs of the tallest buildings McClain kid. But Lance was smart and Keith, Keith had a daredevil streak too, it'd needed a push that was all. Lance pushed and Keith tempered and they fight sure but they worked. And they'd been there for each other when they both started to feel things for boys the society around them was saying they shouldn't, well the majority anyway... and then they both wondered if they were really supposed to like each other or if was because they were who the other had. So they went seperate ways then back to each other again high school. Until the cheating fiasco... and Keith shuddered because Lance had felt guilty as hell for letting that college boy put the moves on him and responding, it'd been why he'd come clean to Keith. What had he don't gotten pissed off, mean, spiteful and gone and slept with the guy he knew would Lance the most?

And now he was wondering if he was doing another thing that would hurt Lance the most? It came up all the time in their professional fights. Do you trust me or not? Trust me? Keith don't you trust me? And Lance was giving him that look all week, all the time, before he averted his brown eyes and walked in the other direction. How dare you not trust me, Keith.

But Keith couldn't get things out of his head. The way he'd seen Lance with Farla, arm around her shoulders, making her smile and blush at the same time with a bit of wink and smirk. Farla calling him at all hours of the day and night. The encrypted communications, the trips to Lyra whenever Lance felt it was safe to leave Arus for the hours it'd take to go, visit and get back. And then there was the request to go to Earth and him saying he couldn't say why and Keith knew it was about her. Her. And he wouldn't tell him. Didn't Lance trust him? And if he wasn't saying than it wasn't good... they weren't on the same page, they were locking eyes and making promises to meet up in the closet lion, they weren't together. Lance had to be cheating...At least Keith had been sure until he asked. Now he was less sure but he still wondered and Lance wasn't denying the accusation but he wasn't answering either.

Keith would give it time, sometimes that was the best way to deal with Lance when his pride was hurt. Besides, things were getting busy with Doom. They were getting more and more intelligence on Slave planets, from Sven. They were doing more rescue operation, Doom was attacking Arus less. They were looming towards an end of the war, they could all taste it...Another two weeks passed and he and Lance locked their gazes over a strategy table and agreed to table everything until after they defeated Zarkon and Lotor for good.

Five Years Later and a few months after Wade has been taken down...

Allura paused at the door to the simulation room, frowning when she saw Keith inside pummeling the crap out of Lotor. She walked into the room and turned off the simulation, biting the inside of her cheek not to laugh when the action caused Keith to kick wildly at air, over rotate and fall onto his butt with a oof as the air rushed out of him. He made a noise akin to a growl as he jumped back to his feet and turned toward the controls, his expression flattening out to one of surprise and respect when he saw her.

"Allura," he said with a slight bow.

She couldn't help but smile at his formality. No matter how long they'd been friends, best friends in her estimation she knew she'd never get him to forget her title, to not treat her someone above him in station and rank. It was an honor code that was built within him, a respect of rules and standards that was a part of his nature just as much as his lightning quick reflexes and ability to make tough decisions under pressure.

"Why are you up so late, pummeling SimuLotor?"

Keith sighed, bent his head and walked over to the table that had the towels on it. Grabbing one he wiped off his hands of sweat. Allura waited and wished she was more patient. She'd grown better at faking it over the years but she'd never been patient. It was something of herself she saw in Larmina, only she was sure Larmina was worse than she ever had been... Though Lance said the same about Daniel's recklessness. Were they right or hoping? She sighed. "Keith?"

"I've been having trouble sleeping, that's all. Why are you up so late?"

"Late night conference call with my Aunt Orla, Intraplanetary politics, nothing exciting. In fact I almost fell asleep a few times during the communication, thankfully I didn't. Aunt Orla would've been appalled."

Keith smiled but Allura could tell it was surface smile, it was the motion of the action because he knew it was the right thing to do. "Keith what is it? I thought you were feeling at home, finally."

He nodded. "I am, I have been. I think the team has a good chain of command, almost. You and Lance still do as you please too often but what else is new. The cadets also could learn to follow more than act out...but yeah I feel like things are in place again with the team, and I'm warming up to the Cadets."

Allura waited.

"I still feel bit behind with the guys," Keith finally said. "Hunk's got this whole knew training regiment, it's hardcore, and there is his hunkyard. Pidge he's got secrets, things of his own that he doesn't share with us, apparently now. That kid used to tell the rest of us everything, you know..." Keith trailed off.

Allura nodded. "We've all changed, you have too. You're quieter, I never knew that possible."

Keith met her eyes and he nodded. "I've done things I'm not all that proud of while I was gone, Allura."

She crossed the room and touched his arm. "Keith, we all did. We all had too. Lance.. he had to kiss Wade's ass, practically everyday. The communications I would get afterward so Lance could purge the guilt and the ill feelings."

Keith turned around again and walked over to the window, looked outside at Arus' twin moons. "Almost time for the Autumn Moon Festival."

"And almost time for your Christmas, we still celebrate it every year in this Castle. Only Daniel and Vince are going home for Christmas. Chip is coming here to be with Pidge, Hunk's staying here since he went home for America's Thanksgiving..." Allura trailed off. "Lance never goes home for any holiday neither do you...have..."

"No." It was hard, clipped, a command.

Allura flinched. "Keith, you two left things..."

"No," Keith repeated and he turned. "It's...we left things."

"So what, the two of you are where you are now. Professional and you only worry about your friendships with me, Hunk and Pidge?"

"I didn't say that," Keith muttered.

"You've been working hard, Keith. Same as always, as I remember. Paperwork is piling up again, since we took down Wade. You need a break. You should take the Summer Festival and your Christmas week off. Do somethings for yourself..." she trailed off and gave him a pointed look.

Keith ran his hands through his hair, looked back out at the moons. "I'll think about it."

"Well make a choice soon, the Festival starts next week and in the middle of that is Christmas," Allura said. "I've already done my shopping, have you?"

Keith groaned.

Allura laughed. "Go to bed, Commander."

"Is that a royal order?"

"Is that the only way to get you to listen?"

Keith shook his head. Allura doubted him but she decided to give him the leeway. "Think about what I said, Keith," she said, meaning him and Lance, as she stepped away.

Keith went to looking back out the window and thought. _Something I want for myself. Something I can have..._

**Chapter One**

Lance heaved Vince's suitcase into the shuttle leaving for earth, exerting muscle strength one shouldn't have to use to lift a suitcase. "Vince, what are you bringing home?"

"Well, I thought during the down time of my two weeks at home, I should brush up on my Ancient Arusian languages, there are five different dialects, my Ancient Arusian history, there is a wealth of history, especially the history of Voltron in regards to Arus and I feel it's a field of study very important for me to be at the top of my game on. Also some things that Pidge and I have been working on in regards to Haggarium..."

Lance held up his hand. "I got it, you're bringing all your work home with you. You're reminding me of Keith."

"Really?" Vince said, sounding more than thrilled.

Lance rolled his eyes. "Yeah, Keith always took all his textbooks home on vacation too. Even read and studied them as much as I tried to keep him too busy not too," Lance shook his head.

"I will be distracting him, sir," Daniel said with a smile. "I plan to grab the shuttle to his place every chance I get, so he and I can have as much fun as possible without you guys watching our every move!"

Lance grinned at Daniel. "Enjoy it while it lasts kid, it's only fourteen days, then you're back here. I'm thinking up ways to keep you three on your toes," he grinned.

"Man," Daniel muttered.

The pilot of the shuttle to earth yelled. "Five minutes to till take off."

"Okay, you two get on board, don't cause the pilot any trouble, and stay out of trouble on Earth."

"How can we get in trouble," Daniel said. "You've made us leave our voltcoms."

Lance leveled Daniel with a look.

Daniel shrugged. "What, I'm not that bad!"

Lance laughed. "Right, and I'm an Angel." He slapped Daniel on the shoulder, then watched him and Vince walk onto the shuttle. The door closed behind them and Lance felt a load lift off his shoulders. A Daniel sized load of relentless worry and responsibility that caused him nightmares of crashed lions, and Lotor with a trophy of the reckless speedsters head. With Vince or Larmina dead too because they'd tagged along against their better judgement.

The shuttle disappeared into the brightness of the sun and Lance let out a whistle, and started to hum Deck the Halls. Turning around he started to head back to the Castle, when someone called out to him. "Uh, Commander McClain?"

Lance turned, surprised to be called by his Galaxy Alliance rank by anyone on Arus, here it was usually Lance, or hey you. They were informal on Arus, from when they'd first arrived with minimal contact with the Garrison. "Yeah," Lance said finding himself looking at a guy about his height and build.

"Yeah, uh, hi. I can see the Castle it looks to be right there but I can't seem to find a doorway to get into it. I'm meeting Keith, he invited me for Christmas...but yeah. He might be thinking I stood him up, because though my shuttle arrived on time, I keep somehow screwing up finding the door." The guy gave a smile at the end of his speech, a confident lazy smile as he shifted the weight of the duffle bag that was slung over his left shoulder.

"Who the hell are you?" Lance said checking the guy out. In shape, casual clothing, jeans, a t-shirt, dirty-blonde hair that was shaggy around the edges but stopped just short of being too long. He carried himself like someone who knew how to fight though and he was watching the people around with eyes that saw more than he let on... Lance knew the look, he used it the same one all the damn time.

"Ilya Granger," he said. "I'm sure you've about me. I've about you, well all of you." He held out his hand.

Granger? This was Granger, Ilya Granger? The guy Keith said saved his life in a bar fight, then took him in, stitched him up and turned out to be a great ally with his ear on the pulse of the seedier side of things. This was the guy who'd introduced Keith to Manset? Lance had pictured someone older, with a Russian accent who liked like he belonged in a James Bond movie. Not a guy who looked like he could be James Bond only with a bland boring Mid-western or Californian American everyday voice.

"Huh," Lance said, ignoring Granger's hand. "He invited you for Christmas?"

"Yeah, kind was unexpected, but...well yeah, I wasn't going to turn it down," there was a wink in Granger's tone that didn't surface on his face but Lance heard it all right. Lance swallowed over a sudden hard lump in his throat. He felt sick to his stomach.

He and Keith hadn't...He hadn't been a monk, and yeah Keith had been gone for years. They'd been - broken up, he supposed, they'd never said it but they sure as hell hadn't been together either. Both of them stupid and both of them too proud to make any sort of first move.

They'd been butting heads when Keith showed back up about who was in charge of the team. That was mostly him, he'd gotten used to being the one Allura, Pidge and Hunk looked too to lead them. He'd liked it, he'd like being the one they relied on and he'd felt good being able to pull them through the hard times. And it'd been hard, not easy and he hadn't had Keith to help him, not even good memories to rely on because everything had been so messed up. They'd been going through professional motions only when the shit hit the fan with Wade.

Granger had been name that came up a lot on Keith's intel reports. He'd gone to him to lie low more than once. He'd counted on Granger for contact information, illegal documents that looked like the real thing. Granger was one of Keith's most trusted contacts when he was out there stalking Black Lion as they'd called it, while the rest of them ran the Den, and played good Alliance soliders for Wade.

And Keith had invited him to the Castle for Christmas. Lance didn't like it, at all, it felt... wrong, rude, and like he should have been told. They hadn't talked, they had never talked about anything and didn't that mean there was still a chance for them... That was how he'd always thought about it anyway. Guess that was stupid, leave it to Keith to think something different, to spin it in his own head like something else completely.

How had they'd gone from best friends, to lovers, to best friends and lovers to practically married to not even on the same page at all... Where the fuck had they gone wrong? Why the hell hadn't he gone into Keith's room the first night Keith had been back. He'd stood out in the hallway for over and hour, hand overing over the keypad considering it, thinking it and he'd ended up walking away.

Then things got so busy, with the cadets, Wade, haggarium, Lotor and Maahox. Lance kept telling himself, we'll have a chance, we'll have time... Maybe we should focus on Voltron Force dynamics first and then us. We've been slowly getting the groove back with him, me and Allura doing some sort of three way leadership thing, balancing it out. He and I, I can corner him soon enough about us. Lance knew he'd have to be the one to corner Keith, it was how it usually went if he wanted to know what Keith was thinking - except that one day he got accused of cheating when he wasn't doing anything wrong.

Though, looking back on it, he'd been not telling Keith about what he was helping Farla with on purpose, keeping the secret so Keith would be jealous of his time. He'd wanted to get back at Keith for picking work over him so often in the weeks prior. He'd been mad at being pushed aside for a public appearance with Allura, and hours of paperwork one too many times. He wouldn't have been breaking Farla's trust by telling Keith what was going on, but he'd chosen to decide he would've been if he told anyone, even Keith.

Hindsight was a bitch and this guy was grating.

"Hell I almost took this left three times, but I thought it go right down to the lake, not in toward the Castle. Directions never my strong point, why I got kicked out of piloting school."

Lance snorted. "So what do you do exactly... I mean besides make a good ally for a guy on the run from the Alliance?"

Granger shrugged, gave Lance that lazy cocky smile again. "I run a great bar. It gets you contacts, that's all."

"Right."

"And I believe in the little guy, you know what Voltron defends. Never liked Wade."

Lance had to nod.

"So, uh, look...about Keith?"

Lance waited, already thinking about saying something along the lines of: _Stay away, he's taken, he's mine, and he has the tattoo on his ass to prove it. Maybe you've seen it? Shit, have you seen it?_ Lance clenched his fists and his jaw.

"He's always been really hard to read, but uh I got the sense you've known him a long time. He mentioned once something the two of you did when you were thirteen? So long time right?"

"Yeah, been friends since we were eleven," Lance said, thinking. _Mine._

"Right. So when he called me up on subspace in the middle of the night, three days ago, and said he decided to let himself have something he wanted that he could have... I am reading him right, right? He always seemed to pull back, but I'm thinking he's finally ready for something?" Granger grinned but Lance picked up the insecurity this time under the lazy confidence. He knew it well, because Keith was hard to read. Damn bastard.

"He said that?" Lance said.

"Yeah."

Lance shrugged. "Like you said, guy's hard to read, and he and I, haven't been speaking the same language in a long time..." Lance pushed open the door the castle harder than he needed too and when he stood inside he saw the stairs that would lead up to the control room where he knew Keith was with Allura. Then straight ahead was the hallway leading to weight room and where the punching bag was, Lance rolled his shoulders. "He'll be in the control room. Right up those stairs, first door to the left."

"Yeah, thanks, man."

"Whatever," Lance muttered and he walked down the hall.

~~.~~

Allura looked up from the report she was reading about the summer harvests in nearby villages, expecting Lance to be walking in to tell them how shipping off Daniel and Vince home for Christmas had gone. Instead she found herself staring into the green eyes of a stranger. "Uh, hello?" she said.

"Hey beautiful," he said, giving the room a lazy look. "I was told Keith would be here."

"He left for a quick moment," Allura said, studying the man in front of her, thinking he looked vaguely familiar, or felt vaguely familiar. "Who are you?"

"Ilya Granger."

"Oh," Allura's eyes widened. Somehow she'd always thought Keith's contact Granger was darker, dirtier, that he matched the seedy bars of the life style he was part of and that he didn't look like a guy ready for the beach, wearing sandals with his jeans. "I didn't know Keith had invited you to the Castle. I'm Princess Allura," she placed the tablet she had in her hands on the console and reached out her hand in greeting.

"Shit, I mean, oh crap...shit," Granger stammered. "Sorry, Keith'll never forgive me for being so informal with you there, earlier. One thing to be informal with McClain but not with a Princess. I mean Keith has these rules of respect and things," he took her hand and gave it a firm shake.

Allura laughed. "We're rather informal around here...you met Lance?"

"He helped me find the door. I have a poor sense of direction. Why I own seedy bars and don't fly a fractal," he said. "I'm surprised Keith didn't tell you he invited me for uh, you're Moon festival?"

"Autumnal Moon Festival, we celebrate the end of summer and the beginning of Autumn, while the twin moons are at their brightest. It nicely coincides with Earth's Christmas."

"Yeah, I'm surprised he didn't inform you, he invited me to stay."

Allura was surprised herself, inwardly anyway because there was only one reason Keith wouldn't inform her of a guest coming to the Castle. It would be because the guest wouldn't need a room of their own and the idea of Keith inviting this man to the Castle to be with him. She'd been leading him to finally deal with Lance, not invite someone else into the Castle. She kept the surprise off of her face, however, and wondered how she'd read Keith so wrong. She'd known they all changed but she hadn't thought things had changed that much, she'd caught him looking at Lance and Lance looking at him. They were still in love, she was sure of it.

Yet here was Ilya Granger.

"The Castle is his home, he doesn't have to run guests by me," Allura explained.

"Okay, mind if I drop this somewhere?" he asked, indicating his duffle bag with a shrug.

"You can put it on the floor over here by the console," Allura said. "You said you were talking with Lance?"

"Yeah. ran by my invite with him, actually, him being Keith's oldest friend. Known Keith almost four years now but he's like this shadow you know, always slipping away from me at the last second. He blew me away with the invite, wanted to know if I read it right, or if I'm delusional. McClain wasn't helpful, something about speaking different languages?"

Allura forced a smile, wondering if things couldn't possibly go more wrong really. Keith invites someone, obviously intending for them to stay with him in his room and the guy asks Lance if that is the intention on arriving. "I, uh, I need to talk to Lance, do you know which way he went?"

"He went straight after sending me up the stairs."

"Oh," she nodded, realizing that meant that Lance was probably making his knuckles bloody in the old gym, downstairs. "Thank you," she was about to leave when the doors opened and Keith walked in.

"Lance back yet from dropping off Daniel and Vince, I want to go over the security for the Castle for the next three weeks, I want to finish up prep for the festival and Christmas activities..."

Allura sighed inwardly and turned toward Keith, who had his head ducked down looking at his own computer tablet. "I'm sure you do considering your guest."

"My guest?" Keith asked, looking up and then he spotted Granger.

"Hey, man. I know, I know, I'm not due yet, but I caught an earlier shuttle. I saw the opportunity and yeah, I thought I'd surprise you. It's only two days, I didn't think it'd be a big deal..."

Allura stifled a laugh, thinking of course he's early. Keith would have told her, he didn't owe her an explanation but before the expected arrival Keith would've told her about expecting Granger. She studied Keith's reaction to his guest, being in the control room. A faint pink seemed to appear on Keith's sharp cheekbones, his dark blue eyes moved up and down Granger's lanky form; Allura followed Keith's movement once again feeling that there was something familiar about Granger. Had Keith sent them his statistics at someone point? A full dossier? He had on some contacts and hadn't on others, she couldn't remember if Granger was one of them. She'd had an impression in her mind to go with the name. One that hadn't matched up, so what was with the familiarity.

"No, uh, wow, no the early arrival is fine. Hey,"

"Hey," Granger said.

"Uh, Allura this is Ilya Granger."

"We introduced ourselves, Keith," Allura said, then she decided to test this out further. "Should, I have the staff make up a roo..."

"No," Keith said.

"Okay," she said, feeling disappointed in that answer. She leveled Keith with a look, mentally sending the name Lance at him. Keith held her gaze for a full second and then he moved his look back to Granger.

"If that's okay with you?" he said, the faint pink on his cheeks darkening.

"That's fine with me," Granger said his face breaking out in a lazy but confident smile that bothered Allura.

"Well, uh, then I better go deal with that thing, I need to deal with with Lance."

"Hey, yeah, thank him for me again...showing me how to get into the castle, to here.." Granger said.

"You met Lance?" Keith asked his voice sounding sharp.

"Yeah, gotta say for someone you described as your childhood chum, he seemed a bit not in the know about your intentions, man?" Granger said.

"My intentions?" Keith asked.

Granger shrugged. "You know me, I opened my mouth, asked about my chances. Even asked the Princess here..."

Allura watched the exchange with interest.

"Uh...where is Lance?" Keith asked.

"I think he went to the old gym, after pointing Granger here," she said. "I have some business with..."

"It can wait, he and I have some things to discuss," Keith muttered and his body was half way out the control room door when he paused and added as an after thought. "Allura, you could show Granger to my room?"

Allura stared at him, Keith stared back a stubborn glint in his blue eyes and she nodded. "Come on, it's this way," she said leading Granger towards another door out of the control room. "Keith, wants to get security details done and over with so he can spend more down time with you, I'm guessing," she said, glancing at the security brief Keith had dropped on the console by her harvest reports, as Granger leaned down picked up his bag.

"Sure, whatever, lead the way beautiful... I mean Princess," Granger said.

"Allura is fine."

"Allura, then," Granger said with a smile.

Chapter Two

He'd had lightness on his shoulders for two minutes, Daniel left and Granger moved right on in. Lance hit the punching bag, his knuckles scrapping against the weight of it with every hit. His voltcom and his red gloves were on the table by the door to gym. With each hit he was seeing Granger's lazy stupid smile and how he'd all but said he was here to fuck Keith. Left hook, right, left, and his hands were starting to go numb but that the only part of him that was.

What the hell was Keith thinking? Invite someone to the Castle, no warning, nothing...yeah they never talked about things but they were still something, weren't they? They still laughed, got along more than just fucking co-workers. They had way too much history to not have the lines all confused and messed up. Even with no damn communication between them and acting like they'd both just forgotten they'd been together for years before they weren't together any longer at all.

"Right, we both chose to pretend we have fucking relationship amnesia," Lance grunted out under his breath with another round of punches against the bag.

"Lance?"

Lance closed his eyes, he had to imagining it, Keith's voice behind him. He kept hitting the bag, but then a firm grip was on his left arm, keeping him from connecting the punch. Familiar breath and smell overwhelming him as Keith hissed. "You're bleeding, you fucking bastard."

Lance pushed out of Keith's hold and turned around. "Like you care?" he said, looking down at his knuckles amazed at how ripped apart he'd managed to tear up his skin in such a short amount of time. "What are you doing down here, you have company."

Keith ran a hand through his hair, his hand awkward when it hit the empty space at the back of his neck, for a second before it landed on the back of his neck. Lance kept waiting for him decide grow out the mullet again, or just grow his hair long. So. he could hide behind it like he didn't already have the perfect poker face. "I was going to tell you."

"Tell me what?"

"That I invited Granger to stay with me."

Lance snorted, he didn't want to think about it. "Why bother?

Keith sighed. "It's polite."

"Polite?" Lance laughed. "Oh, so the first time you were going to acknowledge we were ever anything but old friends and colleagues was going to be about being polite?"

Keith's eyes narrowed, Lance saw the cheek muscles twitch almost imperceptibly, but not to Lance's eyes. He'd been studying Keith for every little nuance, any little clue about what he was thinking or feeling since he was sixteen and first realized he wanted to spend hours mapping Keith's body with his mouth. He knew he'd just pissed off Keith and good, because he was pissed off.

"You haven't rushed to acknowledge a damn thing either."

Lance sighed, the million times he almost did on his tongue but they were almost and what good would almost do in the telling? "I though Ilya Granger be some old russian fart," Lance heard himself say and was he letting Keith off the hook, what the fuck?

Keith laughed and shook his head. "No, not so much."

"Yeah, I saw. He looks like some hot beach bum."

Keith ducked his head looking away.

"I don't like him."

Keith looked up then, mouth opening, "You don't even know him."

"Has he seen it yet?"

"What?"

Lance rolled his eyes. "Keith, the tattoo."

A slight red flush tinged the skin high on Keith's cheeks. He rolled his eyes and he shook his head. "No."

"What are you going to say?"

"What do you say?"

"Never slept with a guy I invited over for a Christmas holiday with the family Keith. They know going in I'm probably thinking about the guy whose name is emblazoned over my cock."

Keith's expression went soft and Lance felt like his heart was hammering too fast. He stepped forward into Keith's space. "I don't invite anyone here," Lance said. "Ever, Keith."

Keith's tongue came out and licked his lips, his eyes fell to Lance's mouth and a hand fell onto Lance's hip and Keith fingers dug into his skin through his uniform. Lance closed his eyes, it felt so familiar but it been so long it felt odd as well. Almost like they'd never touched before at all like this. Lance felt like his heart might be beating too fast, he felt more afraid than he had the few times in the line of fire when he thought he might die but he wasn't going to miss the chance to kiss Keith again. He started to lean down but then he was pushed away.

"No, shit..." Keith shook his head. "I made a choice," Keith muttered, turning around and stood for a minute, Lance counted to six and in that time he went from hearing Keith's breath to not hearing it at all. "Get your hands looked at, Lance, you're dripping blood on the floor," he gritted out then he walked out of the room.


	2. Chapter 3

Chapter Three

Larmina eyes grew round when Lance walked into Allura's office, her expression locked on Lance's knuckles. "Whoa, gnarly, what happened, what did I miss?"

"Nothing," both Allura and Lance said, but Lance felt Allura's disapproving gaze on the side of his face, as he kept eye contact with Larmina. "This is a do what I say moment, Larmina."

Larmina rolled her eyes. "Aren't they all with you. You can break the rules, Auntie Allura can break the rules, even Keith. But me or Daniel, OH NO, never..." she stood up. "Are you done telling me boring Castle stuff?"

Allura sighed. "We're done... For today, Larmina."

"Of course, of course," Larmina said. "I'm going to go see if Hunk wants to jam."

"Don't bothering him if he's working, just because school is on break for the Autumnal Moon festival and the boys got their Christmas holiday off..." Allura yelled after the fleeing Larmina with another sigh.

Lance shrugged. "Sorry."

Allura walked over and grabbed one of his hands, wincing at the damage he'd inflicted on himself. "I feel responsible," she muttered.

"For Larmina? Well, you kind of are..."

Allura huffed. "Not her. Well, yes her, but not what I meant. I meant about this, you, messing up your hands because you and Keith haven't talked once since he got back. It's been month and the two of you haven't had one conversation about the two of you have you?"

"Well, we have now, kind of..." Lance muttered, flashing back to what hadn't been much of a conversation. It'd been, he didn't know what a fight that he'd oddly decided to diffuse, and he still didn't know why, not really. Maybe it was he didn't want to shout with Keith, not about them he wanted to figure out why they'd let it all slip away because every time Lance tried to suss it out, all he came up with was he hadn't wanted to let them disappear. Had Keith?

He thought about Keith shoving Lance away before Lance could kiss him, it'd have been more than a kiss though; it always was with them from the first kiss onward. It always been started as once thing and led to two things, they tumbled like stones down a hill like that at top speed him and Keith. Their breakup sure had been fast, he hadn't even realized they'd broken up until Keith was a fugitive and he teaching cadets. It all felt backward, like Keith walking away from in that gym telling him he'd chosen Granger.

Allura raised an eyebrow.

"It was more like we almost made out but he...swore before anything happened. I don't know. I... I was letting him off the hook, I don't even know why because I'm pissed as hell. What do you mean responsible?"

Allura looked up from where she was examining his hand, she let his hand go. "Did you go to medtech?"

"No," Lance said with an eye roll. "It's scrapped skin."

She sighed.

"It's fine."

"No, it's not. He was beating up SimuLotor a few nights ago, he said he was still feeling unsettled and I know how hard he's been working himself; well he's Keith. And I knew you two were still avoiding anything about the two of you. I pushed him to do something for himself. I wasn't expected him to invite someone else to the Castle. I meant for him to go after you."

Lance laughed, he grabbed Allura's face and kissed her forehead. "That would take more than one conversation. Probably torture, and even then I think he'd rather die..." he trailed feeling another rise of anger and unwanted bitterness about it all. He sucked at relationships, he sucked at talking about things but he'd been better at it than Keith. But not good enough to keep him.

"Lance," Allura said. "You two were..."

"What?"

"You two were Keith and Lance," she said. "I had a crush on the two of you. It was a crush on love." She rolled her eyes, blushed and then sighed. "Haven't met a soul yet who makes me feel like the way you two STILL look at each other. You two are just great at making sure the other one never sees it."

"Then why is he in his room right now with that, that...directionally challenged pilot school washout!" Lance shouted.

Allura shrugged.

"I need a distraction, Allura. What do you need done around here for the festival, for Christmas...anything?"

"They need help by the lake, building the booths for the Harvest Night, it falls exactly on your Christmas this year... so I'm adding some fake snow and flown in Pine trees... to corny?" Allura asked.

Lance laughed. "It's Christmas, it works," he said.

Allura grinned. "They do need more hands with the building, you know how every year there is another Ale booth, or yet another merchant trying to sell their own handmade moon jewels, and of course Voltron Force merchandise, not mention the christmas stuff everyone in town does for you guys."

"I can build, I'll go down there now," he turned around.

"Lance?" Allura called out after him.

"Yeah?"

"Try not to nail yourself to anything, please."

Lance laughed. "I'm not a matyr, babe."

~~.~~

Keith went straight to his office from the gym, sat down and stared at his desk. His desk was clear, however because he'd left the computer tablet with the security plans concerning the upcoming festivities for the Autumnal Harvest in the control room. Keith straightened his spine, closed his eyes and focused on his breathing and clearing his mind. He told himself it was impossible for the scent of Lance, no matter how heightened it'd been from sweat, to remain in his nose. The leather, the woods, the smoke that had become a part of him after he became Red Lion's pilot. It was home fire smoke, it reminded Keith of fires on cold nights when his family went to Aspen in the winter to ski, Lance always with them complaining about the cold and sneaking into Keith's bed for warmth, even before they were touching each other every chance they got.

Keith sighed, he wasn't clearing his head, he was remembering winters at home and Lance wrapped around him like another blanket, snoring into the back of his neck, drooling into his hair - and he didn't care. He didn't care because whenever Lance wasn't there it felt empty, too cold, beds were always too big, even when they were too small.

He'd figured it out, before they even taken down Lotor, let alone the mess with Wade, the hunt for Black that he'd accused Lance of cheating with no real proof, just fear that he was finally losing the best thing that had happened to him. It was always the fear, that someone would come up and take Lance away. People were drawn to him, women, men, children, dogs, Keith had seen it his entire life. Lance spoke, laughed, joked and cajoled and people followed him, listened and they liked him, loved him, had crushes on him. People listened when Keith gave orders but it was respect for his command, his intelligence, his bravery that led to it - it'd never been about liking him. Wanting to be around him. People wanted to be around Lance.

Lance told him that last one was bullshit, that Keith drew people to them and kept them hook on with mystery. By being the quintessential tall, dark, mysterious stranger - though kind of on the average height side. Little did they know he was just a shy, idealist, dork on the inside but when they did, they'd stick around anyway - no one could hate anyone so earnest.

Yes he'd thought Lance had been cheating, with the secret communications, the refusing to tell him why he was talking to Farla so often, and why he had to go Lyra and then finally to Earth to help her out. He'd overreacted but there had been other things, they'd been fighting about stupid things and not making up as quickly as they usually did. Keith had more of a work load than Lance, and he never felt like Lance respected it - not that he ever asked Lance to give him a break, or some help?

They'd argued for months when Keith came back of which one of them was in charge. They were both Commanders, they'd both led the team and Lance didn't want to give things up. Keith also had admit when he walked into his office, which Lance had been using whenever he could get away from the Academy, that Lance had come up with a good system for the paperwork that running a team - even one under the radar as he, Pidge and Hunk had been during Keith's time away. Lance had put Pidge in charge of computer issues, Hunk in charge of mechanical, everything needing only a quick perusal by him and signature.

It was simple, really, only when Keith tried to keep it he found himself, going down to the garages and looking at the boxes and pissing off Hunk. As he eyed the equipment, counted things himself and Lance of all people was breaking up fights about how Keith didn't trust Hunk to run his own garage right?

The same thing happened with Pidge, with the computer systems, though not with spare parts, or anything. With if he was running all the correct system diagnostics in the right order, and as often as needed, did he have a more specific list detailing it all. Pidge had almost smart starred his head off and once again it'd been Lance called in to diffuse the situation.

Lance had sat him down, paced for awhile and told him to cut it out. They didn't need micromanaging. They'd gotten on without him for five years, they knew what they were doing, the system worked, Keith didn't need to babysit them anymore or protect them from beaucratic bull. They worked best as team, Lance had pulled out the Allura quote, then said he was quoting Allura and that was why he'd stepped back and let Keith take over again because she was right, he was their leader.

Which left Lance second in command, but with a group of people who listened to him as easily as they did their leader, something which Keith was still getting used too. It also put Lance firmly in charge of the cadets. Which really Keith didn't mind turning over, even though he was sticking his fingers into that all the time too. Making sure they were learning what they needed to know, and that Lance was teaching them by the book tactics and not only his own way of doing things. Lance had never flown a manuever by the book in his life.

Lance.

Lance.

Lance.

Keith ran his hands over his face, touched his lips and felt like he'd allowed Lance to kiss him when he hadn't. He hadn't at all, Lance had gotten under his skin though - It'd been why he hadn't planned on talking about them. Ever. He'd planned on letting Lance know about Granger coming and that it was romantic but he'd been planning on sliding it in between the security brief about the festival and finding out if Vince and Daniel got off to Earth okay...

Rude but needed.

They'd talked about them, and he'd had his hands on Lance's hip, digging into fingers in against the lean muscle, wanting to let Lance lean down and take him. If he'd let Lance kiss him they'd still be down there, Keith flat on his back, Lance over him on the gym floor and who knows what kind of state of undress...

No.

He can't go down that road again because maybe Lance didn't cheat, and maybe Keith screwed that up but they, they'd imploded, or exploded, they'd ridden the wave as long, as fast and as crazily as they could and it crashed out from under them and they were done. Done. And it left Keith breathless and empty and he wasn't risking that again.

Granger, Granger had put a lot cards on the table, said things Lance would never say, committed to things that Lance would scoff at - Keith hadn't given Granger much reason to even risk his heart like that, to say anything of the sort but he'd laid it out one night for Keith when Keith had been pushing him away hard and fast. He didn't think then he could do it then, on the run, dodging Wade's goons, looking for any clues on where Wade had Black and what else he may be up too. give himself something that would nice, committed, and a bit fun ... but he was home now.

Lance hadn't been far off about that... Keith had invited the guy to his home to meet the family. It hadn't started out all that great, Lance had another point about explaining the tattoo but he'd figure that out when they got there - he wasn't quite ready for that yet. He had to go see Granger first, give him a tour of the Castle, find Pidge and Hunk and introduce them. It was time to go do that, Keith thought standing up when the chime on his office door rang.

"Yes," he said, walking toward the door since he was planning to leave. The door opened and Granger stood there, lazy smile on his face. "Hey, I asked around someone said I should look here... uh, you deal with that business?"

Granger wasn't patient, which said a lot that he'd waited for him, Keith thought and he felt a wave of bashfulness attack him. He nodded, motioned with his hands they'd be leaving the office and stepped out. "Did you get your bag in my room, all right?"

"Yeah, nice room. It's almost as big as my bar."

Keith shook his head. "That's an exaggeration, though Allura did upgrade our rooms from where we used to sleep. Or rooms used to be smaller than her bathroom," he laughed.

"Well a living area, bedroom and that swanky bathroom, I've seen smaller apartments."

Keith frowned, he had too, he made sure to try not forgot how lucky he was especially after five years of his own constant roof over his head being a fractal. "I've been lucky to be here, to be back here."

"I'm glad you got back here, the Galaxy is really. Celebration in the bar was epic, there was even three different bar fights, all about the new centers for Voltron? What is that? I don't think anyone really gets it out there. So like all the lions now can be the body... different configurations?"

"Different powers, elemental strengths..." Keith sighed. "We're still figuring it out, some people out there may have better theories than we do. It's a learning experience everyday in this Castle sometimes."

Granger grinned. "I hope to learn many things before I have to leave back for the bar... never closed for Christmas before... but I'm sure it will be worth it," he moved in front of Keith and then crowded him against the wall of the empty hallway they were in. "I don't know about the hair," he said, running his hands through Keith's shorter do.

Keith closed his eyes to the touch and the feel of being pressed between a wall and a handsome man - it wasn't something he could explain or pinpoint, but it caused a thrill to roll up his spine and then trickle down it again as heat. "I don't really like it either but I was told the mullet had to go."

Granger shrugged. "I liked it, added to your mystery. Here was this intelligent, sharp, articulate man who had a mullet... Never seen one on someone who wasn't into mullet rock."

"I like mullet rock," Keith said.

"Can't see it," Granger said. "And there wasn't one rock and roll CD in your collection."

Right, they'd all been Lance's, Keith thought and he swallowed. "Well, I do like it, some."

"Heh," Granger said. "Good thing I brought some of mine then," Granger let his hand fall onto the back of Keith's neck and was about to go in for a kiss when he heard.

"Ach, you have a private room for a reason Commander," Nanny said, walking towards them with Sven's son on her hip. "This is not the place for that kind of behavior. Who is this ruffian, who else have you vagabonds brought into King Alfor's Castle."

Keith had to smile, he'd learned the hard way a long time ago that Nanny's way of letting them know she cared was to well - be Nanny. He gently, shoved Granger out of his space and he walked forward and gave Nanny a slight bow in greeting. Then he let little Sven Junior as they'd all been calling him - since Sven had never told them his name grab his index finger.

"Ilya Granger, this is Nanny. Nanny, Ilya Granger."

Granger walked forward and winked, Keith inwardly sighed. Nanny made a hmmph noise in her throat, shook her head. "Your private room, Commander."

"Yes, ma'am," Keith said.

Granger laughed, walked over and slung an arm around Keith's shoulder. "Please tell me we are walking towards your quarters, I got all turned around looking for you."

"Not exactly. I wanted you to meet Pidge and Hunk."

Granger nodded. "Yeah, yeah, that's good too. I just..." he gave Keith a long look. "It's been a long time, Keith," he said, tightening the arm around Keith's shoulder.

Keith nodded because he was at a loss for words, he hated it when he didn't know what to say but it happened to him a lot in situation likes this. He nodded a second time, and then made sure Nanny had turned the corner at the end of the hallway, grabbed Granger by the waist and pushed him into the wall, and kissed him without any preamble.

Granger didn't protest, he gripped onto Keith tightly, leaning in but he let Keith control the kiss, didn't even attempt to take away the control and Keith sighed into the kiss, feeling a lot nerves that gone ragged start to fly away. This was good, this was what he needed, something he'd needed and could have without much fuss. Granger was both familiar and new. Someone he knew he could trust with his life, with political secrets, with a needle and thread when he was bleeding. And someone he liked being around, who was easy on the eyes and good with his hands, and his mouth, and in bed.

They hadn't really done the things that to Keith meant love making, meant forever, meant me and you together - but Keith wanted to try with Granger, because of what Granger was willing to give.

He pulled back from the kiss, licked his lips and laughed. "How do you always taste like beer?"

"It's in my veins at this point," Granger laughed. "You, you... Keith, maybe this should wait until your room too but, uh, I have to be sure."

"What?"

"This invite, this Castle, these people. They're your family, are you finally telling me you're willing to try for us. To be with me, with me and not just use me as a place to lie low, to meet contacts and the occasional piece of ass?"

The guilt slapped him, his behavior at times with Granger had been callous and not knowing that Granger had been falling for him wasn't an excuse for behaving like an ass. He shook his head at the memory, the guilt and in answer. "I had a talk with Allura, she told me it was okay to give myself something I want, and I thought about what I wanted and what I could have. I called you, I kept thinking about what you said to me last time I was at your place. You were right about a lot things. I do run from letting people in, from being close."

"So, letting me in."

"Yeah," Keith said.

"Good. So the other people you've let in, your family. Who is the one that's going to be the hardest to win approval of... cause I want all their blessings, man. It's just better to get along with the family. Is it going to be the Princess, or that Lance guy?"

Lance. Lance with his bloody knuckles, lips parted, eyes hooded, breathing hitched because he'd been about to kiss Keith, the image flooded Keith's mind so fast and so quick Keith barely knew what hit him. Keith swallowed, over a sudden lump in his throat and guilt about the fact he'd never told Granger about him and Lance. He'd never told him because he'd tried to not think about it, ever.

Ever.

Until today.

Somehow he hadn't realized bring Granger here would bring up him and Lance. For a leader, for a Commander it was appallingly short-shortsighted.

"Granger about..."

Larmina came tearing down the hallway, saw them activated her voltcom weapon to use between the two walls to slow her fast pace and came to a halt inches away from them. "Hello."

Keith gave her a long stare.

"Nanny is here, I don't want her cornering me about not wearing a dress, not having my hair down and not being a proper princess... I'm heading out to the lake to help with the building."

Keith nodded.

"But first... Hello," Larmina grinned at Granger.

Keith sighed. "Lady Larmina, this is Ilya Granger."

"I thought he'd be old, and weird looking and talk like Sven. Do you talk like Sven?"

"I don't have an accent if that's what you mean. I'm from America like Keith," he said.

"Huh," Larmina then looked between him and Keith. "Really?" she said.

Keith stared at her. "Go help with the building, Larmina."

"Fine but you know what?"

"I don't know what and I don't want to know what?"

Larmina smirked and brought up a type pad on her voltcom, two seconds later, after she disappeared around the corner Keith's voltcom beeped.

"That thing gets texts?"

"Pidge designed them to do about everything they could possibly do," Keith said.

"Aren't you going to read it?"

"No," Keith said. "Come on, let's introduce you to Pidge and Hunk, I'm sure they're in the maintenance bay working on Black Lion. This way," he said, leading Granger down the hall a bit further than where Larmina went. When Granger was busy checking out an old painting of a creepy old King, Keith glanced at Larmina's text message.

(bold) Lance is way hotter. WAY.

Keith deleted the message and hoped that Pidge and Hunk would be open minded about Granger, he had a feeling Allura and Larmina weren't going to be easy on Granger at all. But they both were close to Lance, closer to him than they were to Keith - well Larmina, anyway. Allura he knew loved them both but she used to dreamily ask them question about their love like they were from a fairytale. He wondered if she still had them on some crazy pedestal? No, how they'd shattered apart had to have even ended Allura's view of their relationship.

He pushed the button to open the door the mechanics bay and swore the bass from the techno beat of Rudolph the Red-Nose Reindeer moved his hair. Granger walked in and head moving to the beat and yelled. "This sounds like D.J. Prong!"

Keith shrugged, he couldn't tell one techno beat from another, though he could tell it was Rudolph the Rednose Reindeer and getting louder as they made it closer to where Hunk and Pidge were bent over the computer looking at Black Lion design schematics. Keith waved his hands through the holographic image to get their attention, then shouted. "Turn it down!"

"Sorry, my bad, Keith," Hunk said. "D.J. Prong just released their first Christmas single, doing one everyday until Christmas, plus some special Kwanza, Chanukah and what did you say it was Pidge?"

"Baltan Binary Code Discovery Day. It's a very important landmark in Baltan history. It's been celebrated for more years than I think I could accurately calculate it and D.J. Prong has added it to his list of Holidays he's celebrating. He has a specific song for almost every planet, he does this every month. It's a thing, December, seems to be busy month for holidays however..." Pidge trailed off. "Uh, hello?"

"Hi," Granger waved.

Keith took a breathe, this was it, this was the first time he could introduce Granger, the way he wanted to introduce Granger. "Hunk, Pidge, this is um, this someone I met while I was hunting... Black," he looked up at his Lion, magnifienct and beautiful looming above them. "Uh, he really helped out a lot, without a lot of his intel and insight I might not have found her when I did."

Hunk and Pidge exchanged glances. "I thought that was Manset," Hunk said.

Keith sighed. "He introduced me to Manset."

"You're the Russian Mobsters?" Pidge said.

"Wow, everyone around here has some imagination," Granger said.

"I thought he was some sort of ballet dancer, or Ice Skater," Hunk said.

Keith and Pidge both looked at Hunk.

Hunk broke out in a smile. "Nah, I got nothing, but that was classic. Gotcha."

"Uh, anyway, I invited him to spend Christmas, here, with me," Keith said before Hunk started to talk about food, or Pidge started to make noise about getting back to work.

Hunk and Pidge both then turned towards Granger, Keith held his breath. Hunk then stepped forward, held out his hand. Keith breathed a sigh of relief as Granger shook hands with the two of them and Hunk started to ask him what he liked to eat for Christmas.

"I just like to make sure everyone gets their favorite holiday food. We have the Autumnal Arus traditions of course, which are great. Then I make my mom's holiday sweet potato casserole. Pidge, loves Christmas, even though he's not from Earth. But he was at the Academy as a kid and fell in love with the tradition."

"Trees with lights, presents under them... what wasn't to like," Pidge said with a shrug. "What he's leading to do is I have thing for christmas cookies. So be ready for CHristmas cookies. They should show up tomorrow and never stop... until sometime after New Years. Will you still be here?"

"Uh, yeah, I think?" Granger glanced at Keith.

Keith nodded. "I hope."

Hunk and Pidge nodded.

Granger was looking up at Black. "So that's her, huh?"

Keith nodded. "Want to go up?"

Granger shook his head, then nodded. "Uh, yeah, wow, no. Really?" he looked at Keith.

"Sure," Keith said, trying not laugh. "Let me just let whoever is in the control room know we're going up," he walked off a bit before activating his voltcom but was stopped before he could by a meaty hand on his shoulder. "Yeah, Hunk?"

Hunk gave him a small smile, he shrugged. "Uh, um, I was just wondering what the.. um, well does... oh man this sounded easier in my head..."

"What the big guy is trying to say," Pidge said, coming into view. "Is does Granger know about Lance, does Lance know about Granger and uh how tense is the situation going to be?"

"No, yes and tense Granger kind of told Lance himself..." Keith trailed off.

Pidge and Hunk exchanged a look. Hunk scratched his head. "Huh?"

"Granger ran into Lance first, he asked Lance if he'd read my invite right..." Keith threw up his hands.

Pidge frowned. "Uh, Keith..."

"Yeah."

"Have you and Lance ever uh made peace with whatever happened?"

"Does it matter? It's been over for years."

Hunk scratched his head again. "Well, yeah, but... it's not like it was fling or something, you two were practically..."

Keith held up his hand, he didn't want to hear it, he didn't want to ever hear that phrase again... Ever. "No. No. It's over, it's over and I'm moving on. It's about time, don't you think, he's a good guy, okay?"

Pidge and Hunk both nodded. "Okay."

"Okay."

"I'll go up to control," Hunk said. "I think it's just some guard sitting in there, Allura had to take a meeting and she said Lance went out to help with building." He walked off toward the elevator that would take him straight up into the control room.

"Thanks Hunk," Keith said.

"Have fun showing off your lion," Pidge said with an eye roll and a grin, then he hit a button and Stereolactic burst onto the speakers again, this time with a techno version of Deck The Halls. The song was bugging Keith but he couldn't place it, so to avoid that he yelled at Pidge, "I thought Hunk said they'd only released one song so far!" He yelled.

"That song is from last year, this is Hunk's Ipod Christmas Mix!"

Keith gave Pidge a shake of the head, deciding he had to get away from the music he walked over to where Granger was staring up at Black Lion. The music was quieter where they were so at least they didn't have to shout to talk, but Keith could hear the techno fa la las and it was grating on his nerves. Maybe he just really hated techno music?

"Hey?" he said to Granger.

"You really fly that?"

Keith nodded, it hit him sometimes too. The fact that he flew such a noble looking ship, a piece of mecha that was more than machine that was truly a lion in many ways. The leader of a pride, allowing him to fly him and lead his own team. "It's a responsibility," he said.

"It's awesome, and I bet it's blast," Granger said.

Keith nodded, hit a button his voltcom and the platform they were on started to rise up, until it stopped in front of Black's jaws. "Come on," Keith said.

"Deck the halls with boughs of holly, fa la la la," Granger sang out, then hit his leg with his hands in rhythm to the techno beat. "This is going to be a great Christmas, he grinned.

Keith nodded, but he felt as his stomach lining had turned to lead, his mind flashing back in time, telling him why it really was Deck the Halls grated on his nerves in the present.

(ITalic)

San Francisco, The McClain Residence

(Italic)

Deck the halls with boughs of holly,

Fa la la la la, la la la la.

Tis the season to be jolly,

Fa la la la la, la la la la.

Keith ducked through the crowd of people, the McClain's seemed to know everyone, or they'd just invited every body to their Christmas body, and Rhoda McClain had them all singing Deck the Halls, horribly in her living room. Keith had lost sight of Lance somehow and he needed some breathing room and to get away from the off key butchering of the song. He walked upstairs, which were out of bounds for the party, but he wasn't really just a party guest and he went all the way to the top of the third floor, which really led to just a door, to the small room that was Lance's bedroom. It was open but it was dark inside. No Lance.

Keith sat down in the threshold, if he waited long enough, Lance would find him. Always did. Less than five minutes, Lance came galloping up the stairs, holding a bottle of champagne. He stopped short when he saw Keith. Got a weird look on his face, sat down abruptly and a bit too close to Keith and said, "Hey," in a whisper.

"Why are you whisp..." was all Keith managed to say because then Lance was kissing him.

Which he'd been thinking about for the last six months, almost non-stop, but would never have done, not on his life but suddenly he had Lance's tongue down his throat. Lance pulled back and looked kind of pale and clammy.

"Uh," Keith said.

"Mistletoe," Lance said pointing up.

Keith looked up and sure enough hanging on Lance's doorframe right over Keith's head was a sprig of mistletoe. Keith frowned. "Why is there..."

"I wanted an excuse, I thought I'd have to plot a way to get you under it though..." Lance trailed off with a nervous laugh. "And be drunk...really drunk," he waved the full bottle of champagne and laughed.

"Oh."

Lance bounced his legs up and down, and Keith could still hear the bad rendition of Deck the Halls as the singers got louder and louder with each repeat of the chorus.

"Keith?" Lance said with a slight break in his voice.

"Yeah."

"Again?"

"Yeah," Keith smiled.

He'd really liked Deck the Halls a lot after that.


	3. Chapter 4

Chapter Four

Lance wiped a layer of sweat off his shirt and was about to toss his shirt to the grass when he heard the unmistakable roar of Black Lion. He looked up in time to see it flying low overhead as it arched from the launch pad in the tower of the castle over the lake into high atmosphere of Arus. His hands clenched, he felt the broken skin on his knuckles stretch and break more as he tightened them again, his teeth gritting together as he watched Black become nothing but a dark dot in the sky.

Keith was showing off his ride to the new boyfriend. "Son of a bitch," Lance said, getting himself looks from the Arusian merchants and farmers he was helping out, and their children. He didn't care though, he tossed the shirt onto the grass, noting where it landed by the lake for gathering it up later. Moved over to where he'd left his hammer and settled in back to work at pounding together the foundation for a simple square shaped booth front, that would have shelves on side and front on the other. He'd already managed to help out in making two, what was six or seven more, he was in a good mood for hammering. Which meant he was in a foul mood and every nail either had Keith's inscrutable face on its head, or Granger's damn lackadaisical smile.

"He's not cute," Larmina's voice said, appearing out of nowhere. She picked another piece of wood, formed a hammer with her voltcom and started to pound herself.

"What are doing out here?" Lance asked, not wanting to talk about Granger with her, though he appreciated the opinion.

"Avoiding Nanny," Larmina said.

Lance snorted. "You're wearing a dress to dinner."

"You're sitting across from Keith's new boyfriend."

Lance slammed the hammer to hard and split the wood.

"Oh," Larmina said. "Okay, no joking about that then."

"Allura's wrong, you are learning to read social cues," Lance muttered, going to work pulling out all the other nails he'd hammered in.

"I mean it, I think with his stupid hair he looks like a sheep."

Lance laughed. "Thanks."

"And he looks easy to knock down, I bet I could take him in a fight."

"He knows how to handle himself," Lance muttered, not liking the fact all.

"How do you know?"

"For one thing he runs a seedy bar, he's Den contact, I know a lot about him...I have fucking file on him. I did not however know Keith was..." Lance rolled his eyes. "I didn't want know that but even if I did I wouldn't have thought he'd ever invite anyone here."

"I thought you two were married when I was little, it was weird when suddenly you were acting all single."

Lance huffed. "Well we fought like we were married."

"Not at the end."

"At the end I didn't even know what we were really fighting about. He thought I was sleeping with Farla."

Larmina's eyes lit up. "Is she coming this year, for the annual Lyran Martial Art Course. I think she should Daniel and Vince through the paces of her 101 class, teach those ninnies how out of the league they really are with hand to hand."

Lance looked up from the nail he was fighting with and eyed her. "You want another session with Farla?"

"Yes!" Larmina was nearly bouncing.

"Then you better get up extra early tomorrow morning for one on one flight training, me in Red, you in Blue. Got it?"

Larmina sighed. "Lance..."

"Larmina, I get you bring the hand to hand, but you need to be better at flying, you have to at least at your Aunt aren't at in the least."

"Just how good is Auntie Allura?"

Lance grinned. "I taught her, how good do you think she is?"

Larmina sighed. "What are you saying I have to be as good as you?"

"No. You have to be good as everyone else. Which is as good as me, Keith, Allura, Pidge and Hunk. Or Vince in a Sim. Vince needs to get less nervous in actual flight. Daniel's the best of you but he's got a lot to learn."

"You're bribing me, what if I ask for Farla lessons for Christmas?"

"I already bought everyone their gifts, kiddo."

Black lion roared in the sky, they both looked up, Lance frowned. It was wobbly on its feet on the air, coming in towards the castle way too fast and way toward the left. "He's letting him fly Him?" he mumbled.

"He sucks worse than me."

"Said he got kicked out flight school."

"Ugh, he's not good enough for Keith, you should tell him to get lost."

Lance pulled the last nail of the wood piece he'd split, pulled it out and tossed it away. One eye still on Black, noticing that at the last minute Keith took over and righted the lion for a correct landing in the castle. He shook his head and looked at Larmina. "I don't have the right."

"How so, you and Keith like belong to each other, everyone knows that."

"Lady Larmina, there you are, what do you think you are doing getting dirty, working with your hands. You could hurt yourself. Commander McClain where is your shirt!"

"Hi Nanny," the both said in unison. Larmina sighed.

"Dinner is in two hours, Lady Larmina, come with me I will run your bath and help you choose a dress. Commander McClain, put your clothing back on this instant."

"Bye, kiddo," Lance said, pulling the work Larmina had done over and taking over where she left off.

Larmina sighed, stood up but before she walked over to let Nanny corral her back into the castle she, leaned down and kissed Lance on the cheek. "I told him I thought you were way cuter, he knows where I stand. And I bet he knows that means that is where Auntie Allura stands. See you."

"Ach, kissing a half clothed man, Larmina, proper manners!"

Lance chuckled, rolled his eyes and wished Allura and Larmina wanting him with Keith was enough to make it happen. If only they had the power to make a Christmas Miracle happen for him he thought. He fell into a rhythm of nailing and compiling pieces of wood together and in another forty minutes he another full front of a booth made. He hoisted it upright where he'd made it, close to the lake and started to look around for the guy he was supposed to tell he'd finished.

Instead he found himself looking into depths of Keith's blue eyes, but Keith wasn't alone, Granger was there with his arm around Keith's shoulders with a lazy grin of hello on his face. "Hey, Lance. We meet again, it's hot day for hammering."

"Yeah," Lance said knowing he was covered in sweat, and grass and even sand from the lake's beach which got up in the grass no matter how hard they tried to keep it out. "They needed the extra hands this year, more and more people signed up for booths, needed about twenty new stands built."

"Arus, great planet. Everyone working hard, from the ground up," Granger tightened his hold on Keith. "I see why you find the people here so noble."

Noble. Keith would describe Arus as a planet of nobles, people with honor and grace. Lance caught Keith's gaze again and Keith averted his and remained quiet. Lance felt awkwardness settle over him, he was standing in front them with nothing to do or say. He did have something to do, he remembered. He looked around. "Keith, you've seem Regory Whimspotter, I need to let him know I got another booth ready, and ask him where I'm supposed to drag it and the other two for safekeeping." He idly pointed to the other two booths he'd finished helping a few other with earlier, noting he was the only idiot still out in the setting sun at this point.

"You're the only one out here, Lance," Keith said, his voice sounding odd to Lance's ears. Lance took it to mean Keith wanted him gone.

"Uh, yeah," Lance looked around. "Maybe Allura knows what I should do with them," he said, looking around trying to remember where he'd put his voltcom.

"Where the hell is your voltcom?"

Lance rolled his eyes at the chastisement in Keith's tone, he swore Keith sounded like a mix between their two mothers from when they'd been friends during their adolescents and he'd been a corrupting influence on: "Keith's never been in so much trouble before, Lance really brings out the bad in him..." If he'd had a dollar for every time he heard one of Keith's parents say that.

"Lance? Haven't we been through this recently? You're voltcom is sensitive machinery, not to mention has the key to Red lion. We can't be leaving these things behind or laying around. If Allura hadn't left hers the other day Sven wouldn't have had such an easy time taking off with Blue..."

"I get it, Keith," Lance muttered. "But it was slipping off, from the sweat and then when it started sparking from the sweat... I took it... AH!" He nodded to himself remembering where he put it and he ran over to the second booth he'd made. Reached into the shelf, then felt around for it because he'd put on invisible mode. He pulled it out, put it on, then made it visible. "See put it in stealth mode so no one would know it was there but me."

"You forgot it was there," Keith shouted.

"I remembered."

Keith groaned.

"Lighten up, Keith," Lance and Granger said in unison.

Lance gritted his teeth, Granger grinned at Lance, than ran a hand down Keith's back. "Come on, it's fine. That thing looks bulky as all get out to me, I would've taking it off too. It's fine... and it's a festival week and what a little under a week until Christmas? You said yourself this wasn't a vacation week, but a low level work time, right?"

Keith shrugged. "Yeah."

Granger grinned and leaned in to kiss Keith.

Lance looked away before lip contact. He turned toward the lake, grinding his teeth together, clenching and unclenching his hands to feel the pull of the broken skin. Then he turned his back to them and took off walking towards the cave where Blue Lion was kept. It was a five minute walk but he made it under two minutes, he'd moved so swiftly and he tapped on his voltcom to directly call Allura.

Allura answered, but mostly Lance saw her struggling to keep a hold of a squirmy Sven Jr. He had to grin as the kid squirmed and babbled nothing words, and grabbed at her circlet. "Hi," was all she manage to say.

"Where do I put the booths?"

Allura laughed. "Regory, said he tried to get your attention but you were lost in your pounding," she said, then she frowned. "Did it help?"

"No. Just saw them, I guess they went for a lake stroll."

"Oh."

"Anyway, the booths," Lance said to change the subject.

Allura looked at him, he hoped what she could see of him via the holograph on her voltcom was getting his silent message across. She nodded. "Stables."

"Yes, ma'am."

"Nanny wants everyone in formal wear for dinner."

"What?" Lance said.

"Sorry, but uh, there is a Prince in the Castle. She's insisting."

"A prince? Who? What the hell Allura, how do I not know about a Prince being in the Castle before Nanny? Does Keith know about this?"

Allura sighed. "It's just Bandor. But she's insisting."

Lance groaned.

"I'm hoping we can find out this guys real name," she held Sven Jr. up. "Yes, yes, little man, you have a real name down't you. It's not Sven, Jr. Noooo."

"If I wasn't predominately in it for dick, that would make me want to make babies with you."

Allura looked back at him, blushed and sighed. "I don't know what's worse, that you really those words as a compliment, or that it didn't occur to me until two seconds after feel pleased that it was really too crass."

"You're just used to me, babe," Lance said. "Could, you uh, tell me if Keith's left the lake yet?"

Allura's smile faltered and she nodded. "Rora, could you please watch the baby for a moment?" she asked handing her assistant Sven Jr. She then walked into the control room and clicked on a computer at the main console. Lance could see the screen she was looking at and saw the GPS from Keith's voltcom walking back into the castle.

"Whew, thanks."

"You're welcome... Lance..."

"Allura, just don't..." Lance said knowing she was going to try make him feel better about Keith, or tell him to make a play for Keith, or something. Nothing was easy as other people made it sound.

"I just, love you both," she said.

Lance shrugged and closed off their communication; if he had to be in formal wear at dinner, he had to get morning if was going to pull off passing Nanny's inspection.

~~.~~

Granger was giggling, Keith found it cute and a bit bizarre to watch a grown man doubled over giggling. "Oh my God, your face when that woman told you there was a Prince in the Castle and you must be in formal wear. How you started shouting, and yelling about not being informed and Lance playing carpenter, Pidge and Hunk listening to christmas music. then the old lady just pokes you the chest and says. 'Ach, it's Bandor' and your face goes redder and you deflate like a balloon..." Granger flopped onto the couch, laughter bubbling up, making him double over. "Oh, too funny."

Keith rolled his eyes, he had gotten quite a tirade going but Nanny had never had the patience for them. Knowing Bandor was coming to the Castle was a good sign, it was the first they'd heard from anyone from Pollux, since seeing Sven and putting out feelers. Pollux had seemed abandoned, they didn't know why or what had happened. All they knew was that even Sven's family was missing and Sven was alone, and they had the baby. He hoped there was news on Romelle.

"Whoa, you went serious...on a dime you do that," Granger said.

Keith shrugged. "Bandor is a friend, he's family, actually. Our friend Sven there have been tragedies and we have his son, we don't know where his wife is. Bandor is her brother, they are distantly related to Allura. More that the planet Pollux is distantly related to Arus."

Granger nodded. "Yeah, I've heard the stories. Sound like myths, but then so does Voltron. Someday maybe people will think your a mythological character, or something. And I'll be known as your boyfriend - that guy no one agrees on how he looked: old craggy russian or young sharp spy..."

Keith rolled his eyes at the idea of being a myth, it was a crazy thought, he was a man and nothing more. "We should change, if we're going to make it to dinner in time," he said and walked over to the couch Granger was still sprawled on, legs open in a v and arms stretched out on either side of him. Keith held out a hand and waited for Granger to place his own right hand into it.

Granger didn't move though, instead he got his own serious face. "Uh, I have a serious question of my own."

Keith nodded.

"Sit will you, you're making me tense, standing there all ramrod straight."

Keith felt like they were running late but Granger was his guest and he knew they weren't running late at all - it was only his penchant for liking to be ready early and fully prepared that had him feeling antsy about the dinner. Plus he was nervous about his family liking Granger, and the addition of Bandor made everything that much more stressful. He sat down to Granger's left and immediately Granger's hand was playing with the ends of his hair that set against the skin at the back of his neck. A small soft, repetitive stroke that was calming and nice, he liked how Granger used his hands to calm. He closed his eyes and leaned into to the feeling for a second.

"See, relaxing sitting is, isn't it?"

Keith nodded. "What has you so serious?"

"I just, uh..Is Lance homophobic?"

Keith blinked, he studied Granger's face and it had the look Keith had come to expect when they were alone together. Open, not vulnerable but open and honest. Not the calculating look he used with costumers, not the careless smile he used on everyone else, or in public but the real Granger. The good guy, with intellect and a heart, so he wasn't pulling Keith's leg or messing with him here.

"I'm taking from your silence, that the question was out of left field? So, uh has just never seen you with a guy before. I mean a guy like him, who probably has a lot of women..."

Right, the Lance McClain ladies man reputation. No one knew where it came from, because Lance hadn't dated anyone but Keith during their days at the Academy. Girls followed him around, he broke hearts, but Keith had too. They'd both befriended a lot of women, Lance had become close to Farla, close enough Keith had thought for the brief second he was justified in the ludicrous assumption of cheating. Keith rubbed his temples with his hands. It was stupid to try to figure the roots of the legend of Lance and the ladies. He hated that reputation. "Uh, no, no he's seen me with a man before..." Keith muttered, thinking he has a mirror fetish, narcissistic bastard.

"Huh, then it's that he doesn't like me?"

"Lance doesn't trust easily," Keith said.

Granger gave Keith a long hard look. "Reminds me of someone," he said. "You took forever to trust me and I was nursing you back to health."

"For all I knew you were working for Doom, or Wade. I had to figure out the situation before I made a judgement call on if I trusted you. also helping me out benefited you."

Granger shrugged. "More ways than one," he said.

Keith nodded.

"So was that why you were so quiet?"

"Huh?" Keith asked, lost in Granger's fingers now stroking down the skin at the back of his neck, then back up in a light pattern that almost tickled but not quite.

"Down at the lake, with your friend, you went quiet, even for you. I thought maybe you were embarrassed he was being homophobic or something. But was it because he was being so distrusting?"

If only, Keith thought. If had been about any of those things, or even about the fact that Lance seemed obviously jealous of Granger and part of Keith had felt victorious about it adding to his shame. No he'd gone quiet because Lance had looked glorious, sweating in the setting golding sun of Arus, the tips of the K, T, H of his name visible because Lance like them all was in peak physical shape and he'd always been lanky, so he was nothing but lean muscle, and there was nothing to keep his jeans from fallen down a little far but a loose belt he'd pulled through the loops. Keith hadn't been able to stop staring at Lance's stomach, the black ink he could see, knowing what was there, below unseen, remembering how many times he'd licked it and kissed it and then gone lower...

"Keith?"

Granger's voice was ice water, like it'd been by the lake, and thankfully Granger had kept talking and Lance hadn't worn his voltcom and pissed Keith off enough to go into commander mode. He had no rights to ogle Lance, especially when he'd decided to move forward and onward.

"You're quiet again?"

"Sorry," Keith said, pushing away images of Lance, naked in front of, hands in his hair, pushing him where Keith's telling him Keith's wants to go. Keith moves his hands to Granger's shoulders and moveds forward, kissing him firm and hard. Soon they're making out on the couch, Granger over him, pressed him into the cushions, Keithr ran his hands under clothing and over it. He made sounds about their being to much clothing and how they had no time for this.

Granger broke away from kissing Keith's chest, leaning up on his arms and Keith growled. "Get back to the kissing."

"You keep reminding me about the time, why don't we go take a shower?" Granger said.

Keith rolled his eyes and checked the time on his wrist. "Shower, good idea," he muttered, pushing Granger off of him. "I'll get it set up," he said and walked away. He felt Granger behind him, watching him walk away instead of hurrying to follow him. Keith always felt weird about being admired when he knew it was going on. Lance always made a point to tell him when it was happen, to point it out and then to make sure the admirer knew Keith saw them. When he Lance weren't dating, Lance would then help Keith get the admirer's number, or let them down easy, and if they were dating the admire would soon know Keith was taken.

Keith sighed as he turned on the water in his shower. "Stop thinking about him and your past..." he trailed off shaking his head. Maybe that was too much to ask of himself. Lance was more than half his life. It was a lot of Christmases, Lance was his first kiss, his first time, his first break up and his first getting back together. Lance was his first best friend, Lance was the first person not to disappear when things got tough. Keith sighed, he couldn't undo it, he couldn't forget it, but he had to move on from it because otherwise...

"Hey, you know you need to be more naked for this to work," Granger said.

Keith looked up, realized the bathroom was nicely warm from the water because he was looking at a very naked Granger through a thin cloud of steam. He turned the water a bit toward the cooler side so they didn't burn themselves. "I do," Keith laughed and he started to unbutton his pants.

Granger's hands stopped him, then he kissed him and Keith kissed him back and soon his pants were pooled at his feet. He kicked them off and they both stepped under the water. Granger slid the shower door closed. Keith turned to grab his shampoo, having the urge to shampoo Granger's hair, when it happened.

"What the fucking hell?" Granger yelled.

Keith didn't pick up the shampoo because he knew the second Granger yelled what it was about. He couldn't believe he'd managed to space out about the tattoo. It wasn't exactly something one forgets about, the way his bathroom was set up with mirrors on both walls he even saw it every day, though the letter's of Lance's name and the word Mine were reversed.


	4. Chapter 5

**Notes**: I feel like this isn't very Christmasy, despite being a Christmas fic. Hopefully it will get more Christmasy. Sorry.

Chapter Five

"Uh, it's my tattoo," he said and turned around. Granger looked hurt more than angry which was worse. Keith felt ashamed. "I should've told you," Keith said.

Granger leaned forward, turned off the water and naked walked out and straight to his duffle back, which he'd left on the foot of Keith's bed.

"Granger," Keith said, as he grabbed a towel to wrap around his waist, followed him into his room.

Granger hopped into a pair of black jeans, ran his hands through his mostly dry hair, he never had made it under the spray. He looked up at Keith, the unreadable expression Keith had seen a million times back at Granger's bar. The once Granger had when he was dealing with dangerous men and women, the types Granger said had hair triggers. The ones who might shoot you, or offer to buy you a whiskey depending on the right word, the right twitch of your upper lip. He was looking at Keith like he was a bomb that might go off and Keith didn't like it at all.

"I should have told you," he repeated.

"So when I babbling out there about Lance maybe being some homophobic asshole, the idea of saying, 'Hell, no, Granger, he's as gay as us, in fact his name is tattooed on my ass?' never occurred to you?"

"No."

"No?" Granger said sounding more shocked than angry.

"We don't, we didn't...we barely have - had time - for that shower we were going to take together. Letting you know about me and Lance, it's a long conversation," Keith admitted, running a hand through his soaked hair; he'd been under the spray.

"That's quite a tattoo, I mean what I saw of it, I don't remember much really. Just Lance in black capital letters and the word mine I think, it was weird lettering, but there was more to it wasn't there?"

Keith shook his head. "It's got some symbols, things..."

"Important relationship things?"

Keith shrugged. "They were important to us, don't know if they were relationship things."

"He has one too doesn't he?"

Keith nodded.

"Fuck, please tell me it wasn't the one that I saw peaking out of his jeans earlier..."

Keith stayed silent but he was sure something in his face, expression or body language would give away the answer. Granger sat down on the bed and put his hands in his head. "Keith? You were going to tell me?"

"Tonight, yes."

"So, when I mentioned the shower and you agreed..."

"I kind of, well not forgot, but forgot... I was thinking showering together was quick way for us to..." Keith trailed off but he was looking Granger in the eyes. He didn't know what to say, or rather how to say what was needed to be said. He wasn't good at this, he never had been, Lance hadn't expected words that often though. It'd been him who wanted words, it was hypocritical of him he thought now staring at Granger.

"To reconnect the way both been wanting too since we saw each other in that control room?" Granger said with a half smile, but it wasn't his whole smile. "At least I hope we both wanted it?"

Keith nodded. "I want you."

"How long?"

"For a long time now."

"No, Keith. How long were you with Lance, but more important how long haven't you been with him?"

Keith struggled with a way to deflect the question, he didn't want to answer. Giving Granger those facts, they were the part of the longer conversation they didn't really have time for. That Keith wished they didn't need to have at all. "It's... a long conversation, Granger."

"Maybe I can shorten it up for now. When did you two first get together? Here on Arus, when you first got here? I remember you mentioning him and you knowing eachother at teh Academy? SO there or here?"

Worse and worse, Keith thought. "Uh, we've been friends since the sixth grade."

Granger opened and shut his mouth a few times, that expression for the hair trigger people coming back into play and Keith felt his spine go more rigid in defense of it.

"I realize this is a lot to take in," Keith said.

"When did you break up?"

Complicated question was Keith's instinctive answer because there was no real point. No set date, no set hour, or argument, neither one of said we're done, we're finished. Unless Keith counted what he'd said earlier today in the downstairs gym, and the idea of that being the real end felt like a punch in Keith's gut. It'd be harsh, cruel and wrong. No, no, no, he shook his head and wished he wasn't standing in his bedroom, naked with Granger suddenly.

"Keith?"

"What?" he said, his head spinning at the idea that no one had said the words out loud until him, today and it was unsettling.

"Answer me please?"

"I can't."

"What?"

"Granger, we were fighting, we were barely talking, then there was battle after battle after battle... and it came about fighting Doom, Defending the Universe. Taking down Zarkon and Lotor. And we made a truce, for the team, for Voltron. Then we won, and the lions were sabotage and I went off to find Black and Lance went undercover with the Academy."

"And."

"And," Keith's head was starting to hurt, he still felt sick to his stomach about the idea of the possible official break up being now, now today - then what the hell was he doing? He couldn't move on that quickly? Even if wasn't that quickly but he and Lance were... He was thinking to much wasn't he? There was laugh in his head telling him yeah you bastard you're thinking to much and sounded like Lance. Keith started to move toward the bed, to sit down, thinking also maybe if he was closer to Granger he could get some sort of grounding in the present. When the chime on Keith's door rang through the room.

Granger threw up his hands. "We'll talk later."

Keith tightened the towel around his waist and instead of going to his bed, walked to the door. , amazed he could walk straight he felt so spun. "Who is it?" he asked through the intercom, hoping he didn't have to go back and get his robe.

"It's Pidge."

Keith slid open the door. Pidge didn't blinke an eye about Keith's appearance. "Bandor's arrived, he's got news about Sven and Romelle, Allura thought all five of us should hear it before dinner?"

Keith nodded. "Give me ten minutes."

"Sorry, if I interrupted..."

Keith shook his head. "No, no, Sven and Romelle are more important, ten minutes."

"I hate to ask, but when I went by Lance's room he was in his shower, so..."

Keith nodded. "I'll get him."

Pidge nodded.

~~.~~

_Interlude: Tattoo Me Part One_

"You done yet," Lance said.

"Not yet, hold on."

"It doesn't have to be perfect," Lance said.

"It's going to be on your body, right over your... your..."

"Cock," Lance said, laughing. "I love that you can suck it, and when I'm fucking you yell things like Fuck my ass harder Lance, fuck me hard with that cock, but in regular conversation even with me you still stutter."

"Shut up," Keith said, ignoring the heat on his cheeks and in his groin from Lance's vocabulary choices and the visuals it evoked. He knew if he turned his head and looked at Lance it would only get worse. Lance had started sitting on the edge of Keith's bed, but Keith knew him, he'd leaned back and now he was probably all the way lain back, hands under his head, legs wide open. The fact he was only wearing his boxers was the factor that made the picture a temptation Keith couldn't afford to turn and look at.

"Come on, man, I finished yours, I wanna show you."

"Just be patient, for once in your life," Keith shouted. He went back to the paper he was working on the final drawing of what would be Lance's tattoo, blushing when he thought of where it was going to go and blushing more when he thought about where his would be. "How did you talk me into this?"

"I didn't talk you into anything, Baby. I asked, you said, that'd be hot, and we found the best tattooist on Arus, who agreed to an after hours appointment. But I have to bring him the drawings to do whatever he has to do with... so he can put them onto us, so will you hurry it up!"

"It will be hot," Keith said.

"Hell yeah, and see my cock wasn't in your ass that time and you agreed right away again."

Keith groaned and then laughed. "Why the hell do I love you again?"

"I make life interesting."

"Yeah, you do," Keith agreed. "Damn, guess I'm stuck with you and getting your name on my ass. I'm done," he turned around and licked his lips. Lance looked as lickable as he'd been expecting.

Lance sat up, holding a piece of rolled up paper in his and hands. Before Keith could even blink though, Lance was on his knees in front of Keith, his empty hand on Keith's thigh and holding out the paper. "Switch?"

Keith nodded, nervous as hell. What if Lance hated it? What if he hated Lance's drawing? Oh, no, what if he hated what was on Lance's paper and how would he tell him. He hated disappointing Lance, making those bright brown eyes darken with sadness. Lance's face was made for smiling, and it if he took it away...there was a sharp stinging slap on his thigh.

"Stop it, you're using your brain again. Stop that. Switch."

Keith nodded and handed Lance the paper quickly and snatched up Lance's.

It was perfect. He'd been an idiot to think it'd be anything else though. Lance's name was bold and big, Lance had a note in the margin to make sure it was in clean bold lines, and all capitals. To the diagonal left of the L were Superior Class Pilot Wings, Lance's pilot's Wings, showing he was one of the best of the best. The best, really. Keith swallowed, horizontal to it, diagonally to the right of the E in Lance was book with a red cover. Keith recognized it for what it was, it'd been the journal Keith had kept when he was fifteen, where he'd spilled all his secrets. Being gay, having a crush on his best friend. Some asshole that school had found it and passed it around... Lance found out and beaten him to pulp, then returned the journal unread. Keith had torn out an entry about how he liked boys and shoved it Lance's chest, needing him to know that if the whole school knew. He'd always wondered if Lance had heard or knew he liked him after that but never had asked. Lance had told him he already knew, and told him he felt the same way too - about boys.

Kissing came later.

Vertically below the book and diagonally to the right and down from the E in Lance's messy handwriting scrawled diagonally upward was the word "Mine", with a note from Lance. (ITALIC) Keep this in my handwriting. Keith blushed but smiled, bit his lower lip and then laughed when he saw that vertically under the pilot wings, was Voltron's Blazing Sword. But it was perfect, totally perfect and them. It was them. He hoped Lance thought he'd done as good as job, he looked up from the paper, his heart felt like it was in his ears it was beating so loudly.

Lance was looking right at him, eyes full of tears, Keith blinked and realized his were too. "It's perfect," they said in unison.

~~.~~

Lance grabbed a towel the minute his turned off the water. The last thing he wanted to see when he stepped out of the shower was his fucking tattoo. He hadn't been paying it much mind of late, it was a part of him, felt like it always had been from the moment it'd been inked on. It was history and it was Keith. It wasn't like it hadn't always been there, under his skin anyway. Didn't matter he'd spent the first ten years or so of his life not knowing the name Keith Kogane, the second the quiet kid, who liked to read but who could knock anyone who tried to bully him over it onto their ass, they'd been joined at the hip.

They'd fought a lot, but how couldn't they were so different, but it worked. Keith knew how to get Lance to see when and how to be quiet and Lance knew when to tell the guy to not think himself into a headache.

Right now though in the present the last thing Lance wanted to see was the damn tattoo, not when Keith was probably getting fucked by someone else. Moving on, Keith had said. He'd made a choice, he'd said and it wasn't Lance. Fuck, Keith, Lance thought, then wryly and bitterly laughed at himself since that was exactly what he wanted to do.

He walked over to his desk, towel still on, opened his laptop and accessed his Den Files, typed in a few codes, passwords and within seconds he had Ilya Granger's file up on his screen. He read it over, the intel was in depth. They hadn't vetted anyone without turning over every stone, making sure Keith knew what he needed to know about the people he had to deal with to get the job he was doing done. Lance had thought it should've been him but Keith had insisted, it was Black that was gone, his Lion and Lance couldn't argue with the Lion connection. He knew he would never have let anyone else search for Red. Much like Allura had gone off in horrible winter-blizzard-cold-freeze-to-death conditions to find Blue.

He had wanted to argue though, because he'd wanted Keith safe. Maybe he should have mentioned that last part to Keith, but they weren't talking about them then, they weren't talking about them until now. Why the hell had Keith brought another guy into the mix, what a stupid ass way to bring the topic back up.

Lance closed the file. It wasn't anything he hadn't already remembered. There wasn't anything he could yell at Keith and go, "Did he tell you he murdered a bar patron?" Because the guy never had. Damn it. Lance leaned back in his chair and really wished that Bandor hadn't picked now to resurface, but he figured it was all about the baby. He hoped Bandor had news on Romelle, and especially on Sven. It was his Christmas wish, it was all he could think about really. Was getting Sven off of that godforsaken planet that was becoming more and more godforsaken everyday from what Pidge's reports were saying about it's instability. Sven wasn't safe, and they'd left him there. He was alone, he was infected and the infection made him crazy - that wasn't a good combination. He kept nagging, and asking Pidge how the studies were going on the Haggarium, how he and Vince were doing. He'd listened to Vince yammer before he left for over an hour about their progress, trying to follow what the kid was saying. He hoped Pidge would figure something out if not for Christmas at least before the New Year. At least maybe then Sven could be with his son. He hoped Bandor had news on Romelle. It'd be nice if some couple got a happily ever after.

"Fuck me, didn't know I was such a sap?" Lance muttered to himself. Shaking his head he stood up and turned on his radio. Christmas music piped out, he smiled. He might as well go with the theme, he thought. But it was time to stop thinking so much, or might turn into Keith or something. He sighed and wondered if he'd managed any type of record. He looked at the time. "Nope, not even a full three minutes before you were thinking about how much you love the Fearless Leader. Fearless my ass, he's got some fears all right, never did tell you anything he was thinking about you and him. Not that you asked, maybe if you asked?" Lance sighed. "I'm talking to myself, this is great..." He headed for his kitchenette, he needed beer. He'd get a beer, he drink it, then he'd get dressed and find Allura. Then he'd bug her for the whole night to distract himself from not staring at Keith and Granger, or punching walls with is fist, or the way he was feeling. Though that was more Hunk's territory, though the big guy had learned to temper his temper a few years back, he was much more mellow now. Took it out on metal now, instead of his own fists even. Lance looked at his knuckles, parts of them were raw pink, from the skin being torn away and it'd stung like hell in the shower. Yet he didn't regret it, he'd probably be back at that punching bag soon.

They'd never dealt with anything and Lance had wanted to but he'd been afraid of what Keith would do or say. And now...this? Lance was pissed, he opened the beer, told himself he had to calm down before he went to the dinner because he just had too. He couldn't make scene, not with Bandor visiting. He gulped down the beer and his door chimed. Lance glowered, he still had time to get ready. He needed some fucking time to himself, damn it. He stalked over to the door, hoping for Nanny, Coran, or some poor unsuspecting guard, or maid, because he was answering as is, and his towel was slipping.

He hit the button, the door slid open. Keith stood there, looking annoying hot in a white shirt, unbuttoned at the neck, with a black jacket and black dress pants. Lance couldn't help run his gaze up and down Keith's body. As he was doing this, the towel fell to the floor. When Lance finished his once over of Keith he arched his brows and said, "Forget something you need?"


	5. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

"Forget something you need," Lance said, staring into Keith's blue eyes meeting that look. The look he'd first seen when they were fifteen and Keith had been trying not cry about being bullied for being gay. Lance had never told him he'd seen more than one copied page about Keith's crush on him - still had them, tucked away in an old shoe box, with the key to his first motorbike, the picture of him and his grandfather in the cockpit of his Gramps bi-plane and the pictures of his family (with a lot Keith's mixed in).

The look was one of want and more, the look was both annoyance, anger and confusion. The look was need, lust and frustration brought to a whole knew level and it was vulnerability the only way Keith Kogane could do it. Hands landed, strong and flat on Lance's chest, shoving him hard into his own suite of rooms - bigger than any of the other teams because it'd once served two.

"What the hell is wrong with you?"

"You," Lance spat out, deciding to go with honesty.

"You didn't even ask who it was. What if that'd been Allura."

"She's seen me naked."

Keith glowered, his hands still on Lance's skin, he was standing too close. Lance wondered if he noticed what he was doing. Lance moved his body forward, pressing against Keith's strength. "Why are you here? Shouldn't you be playing host for your new toy."

"What the hell do you mean Allura's seen you naked?"

Lance laughed. "That's what is worrying you most isn't? Why the hell Allura and I might have gotten naked? What's wrong Keith worried we might've..."

One Keith's hands went behind Lance's neck, his nose touch Lance's and all Lance could see was Keith's irises, the dark pupil in the middle. "Tell me you didn't fucking fuck her," he spat out.

"Why?"

"Lance."

"Why would you care?" Lance yelled.

"You're mine," Keith said and then there was tongue, followed by lips. Lance grabbed hold of Keith's head, frowning at the lack of hair to grab onto for a second, but he dug his fingers in, scraping his scalp with his nails, moving backward and navigated them to his couch. They fell in a heap, naked legs tangling with clothed. The thump they make seemed to wake up Keith, however, his mouth popped off of Lance's. Lance tried to pull him back down, but Keith pushed himself off of Lance and was standing in a second.

He was staring though, dilated eyes, down at Lance, hungry and dazed.

"Keith, come on," Lance said, and he swallowed hard. "Please, then we talk," he said.

Keith laughed. "Talk? It's too late to talk, and what what am I doing..." he sighed. "What am I doing. Jesus, has Allura even seen you naked?"

"Yes."

Keith glared.

"No," Lance said, deciding to admit the truth. "It was a quaratine situation at the Academy one day when she was visiting. She liked what she saw, though," Lance said and he stretched on the couch because Keith was still looking and he was still tempted.

Keith looked away. "Get dressed. Bandor's here, he has news, Allura thought we should meet with him alone before dinner. Pidge tried to tell you earlier but you were in the shower."

Sven, Lance thought, and he trumped trying to seduce Keith. For now, he thought, he jumped off. "Give me five minutes."

"Whatever..." Keith grumbled.

~~.~~

_Interlude: Tattoo Me: Part 2_

He felt it the instant he broke Keith's hand, but Keith didn't flinch and Lance didn't have it him to let go. It wasn't the pain, the pain he could handle it was that he forgot one tiny thing when he decided he and Keith had to get tattooed. Needles freaked him the fuck out. But there was no way he was turning back, he couldn't even if he wanted too, which he didn't.

Keith slipped his hand out Lance's grip and just replaced it with his other hand, Lance lessened his grip and tried to apologize as best he could with his eyes. "It's almost over," Keith said. "It's hot," he said in a lower voice into Lance's ear that the guy doing the work couldn't hear.

Lance hadn't been so discreet when Keith had been getting his tattoo, yet he'd been just as freaked about the needle when it was Keith's skin as he was now with it being his own skin. He'd been jittery, bouncy and taken to talking dirty into Keith's ear, rather loudly to distract himself. Which meant that even his shy, fearless leader commander had had to attack when his tattooing was over and drag him to the bathroom for some alone time.

It'd been worth it. Another side effect Lance hadn't seen coming was that it was kind of turning him on, which was strange giving his anxiety from the needle, maybe it was the weird combination of pain from the needle and the please of Keith sitting there holding his hand, stroking his hair and whispering things to him from time to time about the progress and the hotness.

"This is turning you on," Keith whispered.

Lance looked at his cock and back to Keith and gave him a duh face.

Keith shook his head, blushing, his eyes falling towards the bathroom door again, a small smile on them. Lance grinned. "Hell yeah," he said.

The tattoo artist chuckled, maneuvered a bit around Lance's penis pushing out of the pushed down boxers he had been still wearing. His tattoo going on the lowest portion of his stomach right before the hairline of his groin. "Give me five more minutes," he said.

Which reminded Keith the guy was there and Lance had to laugh as Keith slunk down on the stool he was sitting on, how red his cheeks got and squeezed his hand, and shamefully remembered he'd broken the other one. "Shit, you're hand."

"It's fine," Keith lie.

"Bull."

"It's worth it," Keith said, and their eyes met. They stayed that way for the next five or so minutes, they didn't know because when the tattoo artist grumbled. "Done," they both jumped.

Lance stood up and looked down but he'd been laying down for so long he was dizzy, Keith held him upright and then dragged him into the bathroom. Keith then pulled him in front of a full length mirror, his hands flat on Lance's hips and kissed his neck. "Perfect, right?"

Lance swallowed, seeing it, albeit the letters all flipped around but it was perfect. Keith's name in deep dark red lettering, the T crossed with the blazing sword, one of the two things they'd both chosen. Then above the I were Keith's metal pilot wings, and imposed over them was the Japanese symbol for speed. One thing they both loved, and they both loved to control - in their different ways. Underneath the red letterings were flames, reddish orange, fiery with a small deep dark red for passion. Which wasn't about Red Lion at all, it was about Lance taking Keith's nose out of a book when they kids. Showing him there was more to the world then books and martial arts lessons. Showing him how to fun and live.

"As perfect as yours," Lance said.

"I think I should've added a mine though," Keith said, biting Lance's neck a bit.

Lance laughed. "Oh, I'm yours," he said turning around, kissing Keith soundly and pulling back. "It says so on your ass, baby."

"Show me," Keith said.

"You lock that door?"

Keith blushed and nodded.

"Are you sure, your hand...

"Lance, fucking now."

Lance grinned, he'd awakened the beast, he loved it when he did that. "I'm going to be loud."

"I know," Keith laughed

"Good. Let's fuck," Lance kissed him, pushed him against the nearest wall, started to bite and kiss his way down his neck. Keith's hands were on his head and then there was a muffled squawk of pain.

Lance jumped up instantly, grabbed Keith's arm and really looked at the hand for the first time since it'd left his hand. It was swollen, awful and Lance wanted to shoot himself with his blaster for being so careless and sex driven. "We're going to Gorma," he said.

"No," growled Keith. "Need you now," Keith's lips were on him, his good hand on his hip and his lips locked on Lance's throat, tongue, teeth and Lance felt his eyes roll into the back of his head. His knees threatened to unbuckle but he was on his mission now to be a good boyfriend, a good tattooed for life boyfriend, the problem was that once you unleashed Keith the Sex Fiend it was really hard to turn him off sometimes.

Feeling like a heel for doing it but knowing he had too, Lance squeezed the broken hand hard. Keith squealed like a girl, eyes wide and cursed in ways that made Lance sound like nun. When he finished he wiped his face, from the tears that escaped his eyes and said. "Asshole. Fine, doctor."

"Sorry," Lance said and he meant it, he was sorry for breaking Keith's hand in the first place because the idea of a sharp tiny needle into his skin freaked him out, even though the results were worth it. He'd been handling it out but he kept picturing the needle and his skin and getting all weird about it and squeezing Keith's tighter and tighter.

"Don't," Keith said. "You're right, it should be looked at..." Keith sighed. "I just really wanted too..."

"And you think I don't!" Lance said, as he found where they'd stashed their clothes, quickly got into his and then started to help Keith into his. "Once Gorma fixes you up, with a cast and drugs, I'm in your ass."

Keith grinned and shook his head.

"What, you want me to say that more romantic like?" Lance laughed.

"No, then it wouldn't be you," Keith said. They walked out into the main tattoo parlor and found the place empty. A receipt taped on the door out and request to lock it.

"He didn't want to listen to us? How rude," Lance said.

Keith shook his head and looked down at his feet. "Once was probably enough, plus all the dirty things you were saying while he was doing my tattoo."

"You loved every minute," Lance said, wrapping his arms around Keith, using his nose to move hair off of Keith's neck, then licking as stripe up the skin. His hand fishing into Keith's pants pockets for the keys to the red motorcycle. "Ah ha," he said.

Keith sighed. "I guess I can't drive."

"Hell no, besides, I bet sitting isn't going to be so comfortable either," Lance laughed.

Keith frowned but then he smirked at Lance, as Lance climbed onto the bike and put the key into the ignition. Lance looked back and said, "What?"

Keith laughed, climbed onto the bike, dug his good hand into Lance's hip, leaned and whispered into Lance's ear. "No, sleeping on your stomach tonight, Mr. I can't sleep on my back or my side..."

"Huh," Lance said, then gritted his teeth against the onslaught of Keith kissing his neck from behind. "I cannot drive with you doing that?"

"I thought you could pilot through any situation?"

"Fuck you, Keith," Lance said.

"That's the idea!"

"Damn it, why the hell did I have break your hand," Lance gunned the bike and took off towards the castle at speed way too fast. Especially when Keith didn't let up on the biting and tonguing.

"That's my boyfriend, reckless and awesome," Keith muttered into his ear.

~~.~~

Keith watched Lance retreat into his bathroom, eyes on that perfect ass and try as he might he couldn't get his eyes to turn away from him. Until he vanished and the bastard didn't close the door to the bedroom. Keith collapsed onto the couch, head in his hands in an instant, berating himself in his head. What the hell had been that? Lance baits him and he instantly falls for it? Because that had been classic Lance bait, if anything ever had been - Keith shook his head, when had he not ever fallen for it...

Lance batted those lashes and Keith would cave, almost every time. There were times when his mind would over rule what his body wanted. When they were under the constant threat of battle, when there was too much paperwork, when he had to help out Allura... Keith sighed, all the excuses that had been going on that had led to Lance seeming distance, that had scared Keith when Lance had taken to being distance and secretive and made him think he was cheating.

Lance had wanted to fuck first and talk second, Keith let out a bitter laugh, that was so Lance. Full throttle, fire first face the consequences later. Though, they'd probably never would have started making out if Lance hadn't been like that, Keith thought. He never would have made the first move. He would stared at Lance forever, pining in silence... He couldn't regret Lance's actions, he couldn't regret them.

It was them he was confused on and he'd thought he'd sorted it out until... He'd invited Granger here to the Castle, sure he was ready to go forward with something new but things felt more out of sorts than they had five, no almost six years ago now when he'd taken off in search of Black Lion and anything else he could find on Wade.

It was the tattoo, mix seeing it again in with Lance's body, have Lance imply even when Keith on some level knew there was no way Lance would ever sleep with Allura... it was too much. And when Lance had asked him if he forgot something he wanted, the first thought in his head had been, _No, I remember I want you._

But he didn't, he hadn't... He'd been thinking about Granger, thinking about his body, his words of commitment, his sincerity of need and want. He invited Granger to home, to see his family on Christmas. The sound of footsteps cut off his thinking, he looked up to see Lance coming back, slinging a black jacket over a red dress shirt and wearing black jeans. He had two too many buttons unbuttoned but Keith let it go, because it wasn't like Lance would listen to him anyway. He stood up and found that he and Lance were locked in a gaze, they stood there and Lance sighed.

"Keith, I want to talk."

"Talk or fuck," Keith heard himself say and wished he could take it back almost immediately.

Lance shook his head. "Forget it, you made your choice, I forgot..." Lance stalked off to his door. He opened it and looked back at Keith. "Come on, I'm hoping there is good news about Romelle, aren't you?"

Keith nodded and thought, at least they agreed on that.

~~.~~

The news was good, in a way, Romelle was on Crydor with Sven. They were communicating with Bandor and would start to communication with the Castle of Lions soon. At least Romelle would be giving them daily reports and she wanted to hear about Pidge's progress. Pidge turned a shade less green than his lion at that prospect but he also stood up straighter, so Keith knew he'd be doubling his efforts starting the next day double holiday festivals or not.

The baby's name it turned out was Magnus, Keith felt that was quite a load to put on a little baby, a name that meant so much but it wasn't his child. He probably felt like a great gift to Romelle and Sven, who was he to argue with the name. Allura had seemed pleased with it, though and tickled little Magnus feet, who hadn't been put down by Bandor once he'd been handed the child.

Bandor it turned out had had quite a growth spurt since the last time any of them had seen them. He was six feet two, had a deep voice and didn't at all resemble the little kid who was giving to yelling into octaves they couldn't hear at times. He'd grown into his title of Prince that was sure and Keith could see he was well on his way of earning the title of King of Pollux from his bearing.

Keith followed the crowd into the dinning room, trying not to follow Lance's ass with his eyes, trying not to think about how the entire room had turned as one head and looked at him and Lance, when they'd bolted into the room. They'd both walked too fast down the hallway, Lance had opened the door with too much force, he was all contained kinetic fury - which was never a good sign with Lance. He didn't do well holding in his anger, he was better if he could lash out, yell it out or fire at the bad guys with free reign.

Keith hated be the one to make him angry and yet, he was surprised he had made Lance so angry, how hadn't he known? He walked into the dinning room and saw that poor Granger had been cornered by Nanny. He hurried around the table in time to hear.

"Ilya is very good name, you should use it. Using one's last name like some common criminal...Ach... Oh the baby! Prince Bandor, give me that child this instance, it should be in bed not at what this dinning party will likely turn into knowing all these hellions."

Keith had to smile a bit as Nanny beelined it to Bandor. "Thank the baby," Keith said to Granger.

"Uh, she doesn't know I am a common criminal?"

Keith sighed. "You do more good than bad with your criminal activities from what I remember. That doesn't make you a criminal in my book."

"I'm hoping that you biased in favor of me," Granger said and Keith followed his gaze toward Lance, who was on the otherside of the room, leaning against a wall and into Allura's space and talking to her. Flirting probably, Keith thought with a jab of jealousy out of nowhere, at least he told himself that. When they were dating he never was jealous of Lance flirting with Allura, why would he be now... It'd been Lance who had issues with him and Allura, not that he'd ever voiced them out loud, Keith had figured it out anyway but it'd had been nice to hear it he thought, just once... to know Lance got jealous over him too.

"Are you listening?" Granger said.

"Uh," Keith turned back to Granger and sighed. "I'm sorry no."

"You aren't over him are you?"

"What? No. I mean yes," Keith took a breath. "Granger, I am over him. I wouldn't have invited you here if I weren't, if I hadn't had thought it out and known what I was doing. I swear."

Granger studied him for a long moment, then he took Keith's hand and grinned and was about to kiss Keith. Only there was sudden movement, a flash of a tall, lean, young body, red hair and battle cry, Keith's hand being ripped free of Grangers and Bandor's fist in Granger's face.

"Get your grungy hands off of him, whoever you are, he's taken and his Bonded is in the damn room. The awfulness of your heinousness has no words!" Bandor then drew the sword that was on his belt. Keith finally saw the resemblance to the little kid he remembered, between his horror and surprise.


	6. Chapter 7

Chapter Seven

"Prince Bandor!" Both Nanny and Coran yelled, with an added. "Bleepo," from baby Magnus.

Keith watched as if it was happening in slow motion, Granger stumbled, his eyes rolled to the back of his head his legs gave out under his weight and he fell to the floor. He was blinking them open in an instant but his right eye wasn't opening quite right. It was full of tears, and Bandor had his sword out and was pointing towards him.

Keith heard Bandor's words, caught their meaning but didn't comprehend anything that was said, not really. All he could do was stare at Granger on the floor, with Bandor's sword brandished at him.

Keith was numb. Pidge, who had been the one talking with Bandor, when there had been a sudden change of conversation, was suddenly on the floor with Granger. Keith watched him help Granger to a chair at the dinning room table, check his eye and heard Granger say wryly.

"Kid, packs a punch," Granger laughed.

"That's Prince Bandor," Bandor said, rather haughtily and in a way Keith knew Bandor would never say to anyone who was a friend. It was a tone he shouldn't be using with Granger, Keith should be telling him this.

But he couldn't, Keith felt horror at the situation, he felt shocked and stricken but not because a friend had hit his boyfriend. No, Keith felt horrified, shocked and angry because he'd been relieved it'd been stopped.

He'd twisted his words around earlier when Granger had asked him if he was over Lance. He'd told a truth he'd believed fully twenty-four hours ago, but had been doubting since the moment Granger arrived early for his visit. A day ago, yet it felt like weeks, yet Keith had been so sure he was right, that he was ready, that he could move on from Lance. That his talk with Allura a few nights before had made him think about Granger, and how Granger wanted to build a life with someone, and build a real relationship. Granger's words about commitments and waiting for Keith as long as it took. He'd been so sure, then Granger arrived too soon and Keith hadn't warned Lance because it was the right thing to do.

Lance had spat his integrity back in his face, Lance had walked into his body space, Lance had been bleeding on the floor, Lance was sweaty and dirty and beautiful... Keith closed his eyes. Then saw Lance against gleaming in the Arusian sunset, then again naked at door, smelling of the cheap vanilla soap he always bought but still the undercurrent of leather, the tattoo deep red and burning right there burning into Keith's minds eye. As if he didn't have it memorized by sight, by tongue, cheek, lips, fingers... Lance had tasted like beer and fire, he was always so vibrant.

"Bandor, look, Keith's actually with Granger, thanks and all but... uh it's... well that's Granger's, Keith's Christmas guest," Lance's voice cut through Keith's thoughts. Lance telling Bandor why what he'd done had been wrong. Lance pointing out that Granger was Keith's guest. Lance telling Bandor that were no long together.

"But you two were Bonded," Bandor said, his voice reminding Keith he was still kid, even though he'd had a growth spurt and didn't sound like a chipmunk any longer. Though the term confused him.

"Keith, is there something else you forgot to tell me?" Granger's voice sounded harsh to Keith's ears. He looked at Granger, at his blue eye, the other was covered with a piece of steak, Hunk was standing next to him and Keith realized he must have run into the kitchen to get it for him. He should've done it himself, Keith thought.

"Huh?"

"You two, were you married or something?"

"Practically!" Hunk and Pidge said.

"Yes," Allura, Bandor and Coran said.

"What?" Lance said.

"No." Keith said, still feeling dazed.

Allura sighed. "Well, I know they didn't do it officially, but on both Arus and Pollux there is a peasant tradition of partners getting personalized tattoos that symbolize their relationship and it's considered a binding of souls. On Pollux, I believe it's much more common than even a Church marriage as those are considered to be only for those who have money, and property that is part of the marital dowry..." Allura trailed off and rolled her eyes. "Since in some ways we still live in the dark ages where there are dowries..." she gave Coran a bit of an eye roll.

"I do believe I am not in a position to effect that much change Princess," Coran said. "But the Princess is correct. On Arus is more common in the mountain villages and the southern hemisphere's island inhabitants but it does happen even our main cities and villages. I'm finding it more and more common of late with the younger generations..." Coran trailed off and coughed, eyes at Larmina.

"Not that anyone should be getting any ideas," Allura said, looking right at Larmina.

"Ideas? I'm never getting married all!" Larmina said. "So, they've been like married all this time!"

Allura sighed. "Well, not really, or officially, I mean they just went out and got tattoos, they didn't know the tradition, and I didn't tell them. Though, I mean, I have always seen them as married."

"Romelle and I as well, and when we told Sven of the tradition, well first he teased Romelle for making him go through the huge royal church wedding with her for a bit..." Bandor laughed. "When all they had do was get a tattoo of Lotor, then the symbol of freedom on their wrists or something...but then he sobered up and said 'Ya, Ya, for as long as I've known them their souls have been one, married or not.'"

"Huh," Hunk said. "Works for me. I mean always figured the only thing missing was the actual ceremony."

"Me too," Pidge said.

"We were married?" Lance said, staring at Allura.

She shrugged.

"Is that why you gave you us those his and his robes, and the crystal shot glasses with our names engraved on them shortly after the tattoos, you were secretly giving us wedding presents?" Lance said again.

Allura shrugged.

"You know, she gave you two that big suite around then too," Hunk said.

"Shit," Lance said.

Allura laughed.

"Uh, look, I don't mean to uh, interrupt this...but they aren't married now right? I mean do they need do some sort of divorce ceremony?" Granger asked from his chair. "Remove the tattoos?"

Keith felt dizzy, he didn't know what end was up but Granger's question brought him into the conversation because one thing was crystal clear to him. "We, were never married. We didn't know the tradition, we had no intent to marry, we didn't get married. We were never practically married, we never talked about being married. There was no marriage..." he said the last two words looking right at Lance, anger rising up inside him that he didn't quite understand.

Lance blinked, the teasing smile he'd had on his face while talking to Allura vanished and his eyes went dark as he looked at Keith. "You're right we never discussed it," Lance said, his voice sounding strained. "Ilya, no worries. He dumped me. We're done. Finished. Right, Keith."

Red. Heart beating, hard pounding in his ears, Keith's back went rigid, he felt a few bones crack as his neck straightened out completely and took two long strides and got into Lance's face. "Never dumped you."

Lance laughed.

Keith shoved. "I. Didn't. Casue. The. End. To. Us." he shouted.

Lance pushed back, Keith felt the heat from the palms through the thin cotton of his shirt. Lance's shove was hard, he was angry, frustrated, but Keith didn't think he could possibly be as pissed off as him.

"I never wanted us to end in the fucking first place Keith, so don't you dare put it on me. I loved you when we were screwed up teenagers, I loved you during the academy, I loved you then and fuck me I love you now. Why don't you take (ITALIC) Ilya, and go fuck him on his damn moon where he has his fucking bar and keep it out of our fucking home!"

Lance's last shove ended up being Lance's left hook. Keith staggered, he expected to fall but he didn't and he knew then Lance had done more than merely pull the punch. Hunk and Pidge were hovering around him, in case of the worst case scenario and he waved them off. He noticed Lance was no where to be seen. Yet Lance's words had been left behind. There were echoing in a loop inside of Keith's mind.

He'd been so pissed off but he couldn't even tell why he'd been so angry, it'd been Lance, he thought, it was always Lance. He closed his eyes and realized he made one hell of a mess. Opening one he saw Hunk and Pidge, looking at him with friendly disappointment and he had to hang his head in shame. "Uh, Chief, just so you know, Granger took off a second after Lance did," Hunk said.

As Keith left the room the last thing he heard was, "Are you kidding, Bandor, don't be sorry! This is like the best DINNER PARTY EVER!"

"Larmina!" Allura admonished.

~~.~~

Keith found him outside, duffle bag over his shoulder, wearing what he'd been in when he arrived. He was standing to the left of a group of people waiting for a shuttle to the planet Jericho, Keith knew that from there it'd be a piece of cake for Granger to find a ride back to the moon where he lived. Granger was leaving, it wasn't a surprise, it wasn't even a shock that he would decide to leave after the scene in the dinning room. Keith didn't feel any of those things about it, he'd walked out of the dinning room after Hunk told him Granger had left intent on catching Granger before he got this far.

Problem was Keith had found himself outside of Lance's door instead of his own, he typed in his own damn code to have the computer system bark back at him it wasn't the correct code to the door. Lance's room was on a high security alert, a wrong code typed in meant you either quickly typed in the right code, or the Castle alarms would begin to blare. Keith had sighed and punched in the correct code.

The same code it'd always been, when it'd been their room, their home, their bedroom.

It'd been dark and empty, Keith had walked inside and looked anyway, wondering where Lance was that he hadn't come here; he could think of where. There were three main thoughts off the top of his head. He was back at that punching bag, harming himself, letting out the anger so it wouldn't build up.

Keith could feel the punches if he closed his eyes, could feel the skin of Lance's knuckles against his face. He knew it was his face Lance would be seeing and unlike what had happened in the dinning room, there would be no pulling back. Not when Keith was an image and weight he was hitting wasn't human.

Keith left Lance's room, locked it up and told himself to go back to his own, he still had time to catch Granger but he ended up in the Gym. The empty gym, standing where he and Lance had stood when everything had come back to the surface. Looking down at the splatters of Lance's blood, red against the dirty green of the gym floor.

It meant Lance was flying.

It meant Lance was riding.

Either way it meant Lance was going too fast and Keith would have to wait until he was back on solid ground to even have a chance to...a chance to... A chance at...

Keith sighed.

By the time he got to his own room, Granger and his stuff was gone, and Keith knew now, standing next to the man it was luck that had him here while Granger was still on Arus's surface. He held up the unread, folded piece of paper with his name on it. "I rather hear the goodbye," Keith said.

Granger shook his head. "I thought you'd get to the room before I changed."

"It was my intention," Keith said.

"Where did your heart take you, then, Keith?"

Keith didn't know how to apologize because he hadn't known. "When I invited you here, I was sure. When I kept telling you I was sure, I wanted you, I was going with that moment, that clarity. It wasn't well thought I suppose. I really thought, I would tell Lance today because it would be the right thing to do, that you were coming for Christmas, that I was going to start a relationship with you. And you'd arrive and it'd be all okay."

Granger laughed. "I messed that up. Arrived early, let the cat out of the bag with Lance. Blindsided him, I guess."

"He would've reacted the same no matter how he found out."

"Keith, you told me you asked me because you wanted what I offered. I was offering you commitment, and I thought that meant, that Lance hadn't... That there wasn't a commitment. The tattoos aside, that could've been a drunken night but I'm getting the feeling they weren't... That Prince, that kid... he says you two are married, and everyone agrees with him but you."

Keith gritted his teeth, it set him on edge, that. Memories of Lance and he deciding on getting tattoos in the midst of sex, Lance laughing, seducing and Keith thinking it'd be hot to know, to have his name on Lance. Hated the way others would look, always looking at Lance, and Lance would have his name on him and he'd chosen a place where it would be seen, even it was just the tips of the K, and the T. It would be his name on Lance. Saying he is Keith's.

It'd been about possession. Lance's handwriting across his ass. They'd been young, on Arus just over a year, happy together but never really thinking things through and they'd been happy Sven was found alive and safe and whole.

"Lance didn't agree," Keith said.

"Yes, he did Keith. He was surprised, he didn't know about the peasant ceremony, but I saw his face Keith. He's my competition, I saw his face. He smiled, he started teasing the Princess... he remembered wedding presents. He didn't get angry until you shot the idea down, he liked the idea. It felt right to him to be married to you."

Keith laughed, bitter, scared and angry. "You read him wrong, he was teasing Allura, because he didn't know any other way to react. When in doubt, when unsure, when he doesn't know how he feels, he makes it a joke. Lance and his jokes."

"You're still in love with him, and I heard him loud and clear."

Keith closed his eyes. "I didn't want to be," he whispered.

"And what you hoped I'd show up and he'd nod and say, hey okay you've invited a guy home and be okay with it?"

Keith shook his head. "I don't know."

"You never said where you went instead of after me."

"Granger does it matter? I'm here."

"Because you failed to find him, I'm not stupid Keith."

"I went to his room. It was empty, I didn't even realize. I thought I was at my room."

"Weren't you. Caught it used to yours too. Your's and Lance's."

Keith had been drawn to Granger for his intelligence, it was sharp and it honed in on the little details and rarely missed a thing. "It was. It was empty."

"So then you?"

"Gym. Thought maybe he was hitting the punching bag, getting out that anger he was barely holding in out... he wasn't there."

"And that leaves?"

"He's out there," Keith said, eyes towards the sky, inhaling the nighttime air. "Either in the sky with Red, or on the roads with his bike. Going too fast, he'll come in sooner or later. Have to wait it out."

"Why you found me, then. No where to look."

Keith sighed. "I didn't mean to bring you here for nothing, it's a horrible Christmas present, a horrible.. I didn't think. I wanted something I wanted, and I thought it was clear Lance couldn't give it to me. Maybe you can... but."

"You love him."

Keith felt dizzy. "I'm feeling more things than I have in awhile. I pushed a lot down and away. He and I have been going through the motions of friendship, and sussing out our roles as Commanders. We both run Voltron Force, now. I'm the Commander, I'm the leader but he's... Not merely my second in Command. He's a leader too, he kept them together while I was gone, he kept things running and the cadets. He's better with the cadets... It's a new side of him I've seen, been getting to know. We've avoided us. We've avoided the rest..."

The shuttle that would take Granger off of Arus came in for a landing then, causing a wind, that in the Aruisian night was cold. Keith shivered against it but it didn't change his anger, his confusion and his shame. "I cannot express my guilt Granger," he said.

"Then don't," Granger turned toward him, the wind moving his shaggy blonde hair. He shook his head. "I am not happy. I am not okay. I thought, I was getting Keith Kogane for Christmas. When I gave you that speech, about how I could feel you holding back, pushing me away, but I'll wait for you to sort it out. I'll wait... I thought, it was about Wade, Black Lion, maybe another guy. But yeah, I didn't pick up your soul was so bound to someone else. You called me, because you wanted what I was offering... but I don't think I'm the man you want. It's been obvious, Keith. We haven't managed five minutes without him coming up. Even from my own mouth - I feel like a moron for ever thinking he was homophobic," Granger laughed nervously, then he took a deep breath. "Be happy, Keith, figure it out. I do forgive you, I'm kind of a sucker for you after all," Granger leaned forward and kissed Keith's cheek.

Then he was on the shuttle.

Keith sighed and realized he still held the note he'd found on his pillow. Granger's hand writing was messy, feeling ashamed, disappointed in himself and wondering how he'd gotten something so wrong, Keith opened it up to see what Granger had written. The spoken words of Granger's goodbye felt too forgiving, too nice, too understanding.

Keith thought maybe Granger would lash out more in anger and disappointment in the note, having written it so much closer to what had come out in the dinning room. What Granger had written instead was... "Whatever happened between you and Lance - it isn't over. I'm in the way, we both know it Keith. Goodbye, be happy."

Keith crumpled the note up in his hand, pushed it into the pocket of his dress pants. He turned around and began to walk. He ended up walking down to the lake, taking of his shoes and socks, his suit jacket and top. He stood in the sand of the lake's beach, then he started to do the movements of tai chi.

Hoping to clear his mind.


	7. Chapter 8

**Merry Christmas!**

_No the story isn't finished, LOL. I think it has only one or two chapters left however, unsure as to which number until I start writing. So if I can write today, I will of course, and tomorrow definitely. Hope everyone one is having a good day, and those of you who celebrate other things, I hope it's an awesome lazy Sunday for you too!_

Chapter Eight

Keith never cleared his mind, the closest he came to clearing it was admitting he'd been a fool to invite Granger to the Castle and he'd known it deep down all along. He kept thinking to initial decision, looking out the window after fighting off SimuLotor and Allura nudging his thoughts towards Lance. It'd been her intention anyway, but he hadn't wanted to allow it so he supplied the one guy he'd met who'd managed to remind him of Lance and forget Lance at the same time.

It was a feat. Granger had to be honored for that at least. Granger had reminded Keith of Lance from the moment he'd pulled Keith ass out of danger, sewed him up and insisted that they be allies. All before Keith knew his name or if he trusted him past the fact he'd saved Keith's life. But was it so Keith would trust him, or was it because it was who he was?

In that time Granger turned out to be reckless, a risk taker and loyal. He turned out to be nothing like Lance when it came to romance, sex or what he wanted out of a partner or relationship. He and Keith fought constantly about Keith not talking, not sharing, about the disappearing - What about being a fugutive didn't Granger get? What about them not actually being couple didn't Granger get, Keith had shouted a few times.

That one had always hurt Granger, Keith give him an inch for friendship, for loyalty because he was an ally and sometimes because he was lonely, and he wanted, no needed some companionship and Granger took a mile. He told Granger flat out the sex was sex, he didn't want any mix singles, yet somehow he had to be giving them out...

He wondered if it was Lance. Residual feelings, residual dreams. No, they'd never talked about building a home, but Keith knew neither one of them planned to leave Arus. No they'd never talked about adopting a kid, but Keith knew Lance was great with them. Was always outside with Hunk, not becoming their big brother or mentor like the big guy, but playing with them, plotting with them, building tree houses and getting caught with them out past dinner.

Keith smiled against his will, remembering how he'd been called down to a woman's house one evening, not understanding why an Arusian Civilian woman could, would or had ordered his presence. He got there and Lance and her son were sitting on the couch, both looking shame faced and the woman explained to Keith, how they had both lied to her about where they were going, and not only that they'd come back two hours late.

Lance had shrugged behind her, cocked his head at the thirteen year old boy who was red with embarrassment and possibly guilt. "He needed me," was all Lance mouthed.

Keith never got the full story, all he knew was something about catching the one red frog in the marsh, the mother afraid the kid would catch a cold, and the boy crushing on his guy friend and really needing someone to talk to about that. Keith only really cared about the last part, because Hunk had come forward and said that was why he'd introduced Lance to the kid.

Keith had let Lance off without a grounding, he didn't think the kid was so lucky, Quintus, Keith thought his name was. He was pretty sure Lance was still friends with him... Kid wouldn't be much of a kid anymore. Maybe he did mentor them, just not like the big guy, Keith thought thinking about how much better Lance was with the cadets.

He thought about marrying Lance. He had, he'd never said a word though because Lance wasn't someone you tried to chain up. Keith never felt sure he had a full hold of Lance, didn't matter how tight he held on, didn't matter how deep under Lance's skin his name had been inked, or how many times he covered Lance's skin with his mouth.

Guys tried to take him away, it wasn't Keith's imagination. It happened, over and over, again. In highschool, the one time Lance slipped. The Academy, here on Arus... Women too. Even when they knew who Lance was, who Lance was with, somehow it didn't matter - and Keith got it. He might ignore the other half too if he caught himself in the aim of Lance's smile.

And it wasn't that Lance wanted it to happen. Keith knew this, he knew Lance was being who he was. He flirted like he breathed. It was a natural state of talking. He charmed, he laughed, he ran his hand through his hair and became endearing after he'd screwed up royally. He turned it on, he could turn it off but it was there, on low level anyway because it was him. Who he was... Keith knew the difference, On Lance, Off Lance. In the middle. Pissed off. Vulnerable.

Lance had been vulnerable and pissed off last night, and no one had seen him since he left the dinning room. Keith was trying to not worry, trying to not care...

"Keith?" Allura was next to him on the table. It was late in the afternoon, the Autumnal Moon Festival was starting in two hours. Allura had a pile of papers with her, but she looked distracted and Keith could guess why. She'd been trying to corner him all day and he'd been avoiding her; he also was sure she was looking for Lance more than paying any attention to her daily duties.

"Allura, I don't want to..."

"I really don't care," she said.

Keith's eyes widened.

"It's almost Christmas. It's almost the Autumnal Moon Equinox. It's a time of Magic, and Lights and the Big Fat Red guy with the presents... I don't think you are sitting here brooding about Granger being gone."

"This is all your fault," Keith said.

Allura sighed. "I know. If I'd known you'd be so stupid as to invite another man here, I never would have nudged you. Idiot."

"We fell apart, Allura. I don't think we fix something that broke apart like how we broke apart."

"You two never broke apart, Keith."

Keith laughed.

"Oh, you laugh. Yet, last night. I, everyone, witnessed a fight about how neither you or he ended the relationship Keith. That sounds like two men, who didn't break apart. Something went wrong, something went awry... He wouldn't make the first move fix things with you when you got back. I don't know. I tried and tried on him. He kept saying he'd go to your door and walk away. He wanted to knock but he... he hid behind the fights about who is in the lead. But we've worked most of that out. There will always be bumps but we've got the chain of command worked out. Maybe you took my nudging towards Lance and went in the wrong direction but it opened the door Keith...talk to him."

"He's been coming to my door and walking away?" Keith said, his anger rising up again. "He couldn't hit the chime, just barge in like he always used too? If he can't make the move than why the hell should I?"

"That's what you take from what I said, that's all you take. You two and your prides. Fine neither one of be the first to risk anything, this one time, the two bravest men I know, both of you be cowards. Die alone, down the all from the arms you want wrapped around, all because neither one you can be the one to hit the chime." Allura got up, pulled the papers she holding to her chest. "Tonight the Festival starts, you will be there, with me, Larmina, Pidge and Hunk. And if Lance comes back, he will be there. I'm making it a Royal Order. Understood."

Keith felt his head nod, it was an automatic response to the term Royal Order, his mind was spinning at her words. At everything he was thinking about Granger, Lance, and he didn't want to remember the fight from the night before.

He'd been so angry, the idea of being married...so simply married, to have been Lance's husband, and never known it. It angered him because it wasn't something you did unknowingly. It mattered. He'd chosen the tattoo, he'd chosen to do that feet first and not really with a lot of thought. He'd never regretted it, he couldn't. Marrying Lance wasn't something that could be a happenstance. It wasn't serendipity, it was something that was supposed to be planned.

They'd never planned it.

~~.~~

"Where have you been?"

Lance jolted, all his nerves spiked and he jumped in his skin where he stood half in and out of the closet in his bedroom. He'd taken off on his Kessel, purposely taking two full tanks of reserve fuel from Hunk's garage with him. The last thing he wanted to do was return back to the castle too soon. Though, anytime would be too soon with Keith with another man inside of it. He'd told himself he could do the big thing, he could stand there and watch Keith move on. He was a man, he wasn't a coward. Hell it'd be one way to get past it, watch it no matter how hard it burned, how hard it made him want to punch things. How much it made him wish he could hate Keith, but that was impossible and he knew it.

Maybe he could've if Bandor hadn't let the Tattoo Marriage cat of the bag. Lance isn't sure, maybe something else would have hit the fan and made it too impossible for him watch Keith with that man. Moving on, making his choice. Reminding Lance that there was never any intent to marry, never any discussion to marry, and there was never any marriage, peasant tradition or not. Keith hadn't wanted a marriage was what Lance heard, Keith hadn't found the reveal kind of awesome... Allura's gift giving afterwards sneaky and adorable.

Keith had just been pissed, and then had the audacity to try to put their break up on Lance. On him. He wasn't the one who was mistrustful, he hadn't been the one making accustations that weren't true. He'd been no angel, but he never had been and Keith...

"Lance!" Pidge's voice this time.

Lance had come home, walked straight to the closet, opened the old shoebox he kept the most important things to his heart in. He ended up picking up a few pieces of paper he hadn't intended on picking up at all. But he'd seen them, the writing on them and his hands picked them up and then found what he'd been really looking for. He wasn't sure why he wanted it, or what he was going to do with it. He was angry about it? That was the thing, wasn't it. But now he wasn't alone, because his friends were behind him. He'd just gotten back, and they were right on his back. He pocketed the things, into the safety of his leather jacket and turned around.

"You guys do get this is my fucking private room?"

"You do get you've been missing since dinner last night, and it's almost time for the Autumnal Festival to begin, which is dinner tonight," Pidge said.

Lance shrugged. "I had some steam to blow off."

"Where did you go?" Hunk asked.

"Ended up just outside this tiny village in the Northern hills called Casdean, where I was lucky they had a shuttle so I could back here. I ran out of gas," Lance said.

"You stole two tanks of my fuel," Hunk said. "You owe me."

"I'll buy you more. I couldn't stand seeing him near that other guy, not, not... I just can't be near him with that guy, I don't care if Allura Royal Commands it, no way I'm hanging out with them tonight at the Festival."

"That guy, left," Pidge said, then he grinned. "Merry Christmas."

"Keith doesn't seem all that upset about it either. I mean he's brooding, but I think it's you brooding. It's him brooding, right? Looks like the Lance brooding," Hunk said.

Lance had to smile but he thought Hunk was crazy, there wasn't a Lance brooding versus another man brooding. Keith was probably brooding because he was pissed off, because he'd screwed up with the guy, because he was mad at Lance and because everything was all fouled up. "Not about me, he keeps telling me, he made his choice."

Pidge fiddled with his glasses, then he shook his head. "Uh, I don't think he really has made a choice. I mean he didn't stop Granger from leaving. Plus, it was really clear last night that he's still in love with you."

Lance hated it when his laughter was bitter and dark. But he couldn't stop it from happening when he was angry. He was a laugher, even when pissed off, even when the last thing he felt like doing was laughing. It wasn't his real laugh so maybe it didn't even count as one, Lance hoped so, as bitter laughter flew out of his throat at Pidge's words. "I must have missed that declaration over him being quite blunt over the fact that idea of me, him and marriage was the stupidest thing he ever heard."

Lance had to blink hard when Hunk's hand was on his shoulder seconds after the words left his mouth. Hunk was looking down at him with that face of his and shaking his head. "I saw you when they were explaining the tradition with the tattoos. It's a nice tradition, it fit you and Keith to a T, I thought so too... I don't know why he railed against it like he did. I mean, it was you guys, he really was. I know you liked it, you lit up like...well A Christmas Tree. Teasing Allura, to try deny how you felt..."

Lance had to avert his eyes from Hunk, he hated when the guy went great shoulder and wise on him. It wasn't a great combination. "Doesn't matter if I liked the thought or not. He was right, we had no intent then and after the fact when you're broken up it's kind of moot."

Pidge sighed. "Weren't you listening to your fight last night, Lance."

Lance looked up from his combat boots. "What?"

"Last night you and Keith, were fighting over the fact neither one of you broke up with the other. It ended with you stating your love for him. You two are not in fact, broken up."

"Then what the hell are we?" Lance asked.

Pidge shrugged, Hunk squeezed Lance's shoulder.

"I don't know, man. But I do know that Allura made it clear. You have to be at the festival with us. And it is a Royal Command, and I don't think you should ignore it. We saw her after she'd had words with Keith, she's kind of mad. You don't want to poke the lioness and it worse."

Lance rolled his eyes. Then he put a hand on Hunk's chest. "I need to shower, change..." he said.

"Yeah, yeah," Hunk and Pidge said in unison and they left.

Lance let out a breathe, he walked over his bed, pulled out the pieces of paper he'd taken out of the shoebox and sat down. He started to unfold them, to find the starting point, but then shook his head. He was being stupid, he didn't need a reminder of the past. It wasn't going to help anything now. If anything it'd just make him more angry, all that time, all those memories and they'd let all slip away without even breaking up according to Pidge.

"We're bright," Lance muttered, shrugging out of his jacket and tossing it on his bed, then stripping out of the shirt and jeans he'd worn to dinner the night before.

"Hi."

Lance turned, giving Allura a look.

She held up her hands.

"I'm fine," he grumbled.

"You're in one piece anyway."

"Allura..."

"You two are as bad as each other."

"I will poke you lioness or not," Lance said, sitting down to untie his boots.

Allura raised an eyebrow.

"Did they tell you Granger left?"

"Yes."

"I think Keith realizes he screwed up inviting him."

Lance wasn't sure what she meant, he wasn't sure if he wanted to know. "I would have prefered not seeing him with someone else at all. Next time he wants to be polite, he can go to the guy."

"You know that isn't what I meant."

"Do I?" Lance said. "He keeps saying he made a choice. He's moving on.. not to mention his rant about us never wanting to get married..."

"You completely disagree don't you."

"What does it matter. We aren't together."

"Yet you never broke up."

"Yeah, Pidge ran that theory by me too. Yet, I sleep in this bed alone, every damn night."

"I kind of screwed up," Allura said.

Lance looked up from his now naked feet.

"I let slip how you've been to his door a few times and then walked away. I was trying to get through to him that you two are both being hard headed morons, letting your prides get in the way of what you really want. Pretending that chain of command arguments mattered more than what you really cared about. Never dealing with the arguments you two were having, that you sleeping separately in the first place... You two shouldn't be where you are. You should be together, and I wanted him to see how you both being so stupid."

"And you were stupid."

"He only focused on the fact that you hadn't knocked, hit the chime, or barged in like you usually do."

Lance didn't know what to do with that information. "If I did that he'd kick me out, or wait he might throw me down on his bed, then remember he doesn't want me anymore, then kick me out. You know I get a lot of crap for being to crude and ballsy, but he's damn mercurial sometimes, especially when he isn't sure what he wants but he's pretending he knows..." Lance trailed off.

Allura walked over and sat down next to him. "What?"

"Nothing," Lance said, though he knew now that Keith had never been sure about Granger. He'd been lying to himself, to Lance, to everyone and Lance should've known it the second Keith kissed him. He hadn't seen it because he was too angry, too mad at Keith for bring the guy here in the first place, for only planning to tell Lnace about him because it would be polite.

Polite. They'd been together since they were sixteen, for fucks sake. He deserved more than some polite's heads up. This reminded him of when he'd let that damn guy from the college who's name and face he can't even remember now kiss him during high school. He'd gone straight to Keith, confessed, apologized, gotten dumped and then watched Keith date someone else for three weeks. Until Keith gave up the idiocy, the revenge, the freaking spite...

Fuck had Granger been spite?

For what?

"Allura, I don't even know what went wrong?" he said.

"Talk to him."

Lance laughed, a little less bitterly than he had before but it was there. "Allura, he and I never did talking all that great."

"Maybe it's time you two learned!" Allura snapped. "You better hurry in that shower, we're meeting in the control room in twenty minutes."

"Okay, okay."

"Good," she stood up, and in the process knocked his jacket off the bed and onto the floor. Which knocked the box he'd pocketed earlier out, snapped the lid open and what was inside slid out and rolled on the floor stopping in front of Allura's foot.

"Don't..."

Allura picked it up, she held it up in front of her, between her and Lance. He could see her blue eyes through the circle of the ring. She held it and then she flipped it around in her hands, then she moved it closer, tilting it towards her. Lance closed her eyes knowing she'd spotted the engraving.

"Oh!" she said after reading it. "Lance, how long have you had this ring?"


	8. Chapter 9

**Notes: **Hey everyone. Okay, so this isn't the last chapter either... Not sure when that will be, I suck at knowing but it shouldn't take too much longer. Anyway more Christmasy Cheery and the magic of Autumnal Moon Equinoxes whatever those are ;-).

Chapter Nine

Keith paced the control room, trying focus on being in something comfortable for once, instead of his tight fitting uniform, or the tight fitting dress pants he'd worn last night. The problem was comfortable jeans and a comfortable blue henley shirt were great only if you were feeling comfortable in your own skin.

Keith was anything but comfortable in his own skin. He kept crossing his arms over his chest, he felt a sharp pain from tense muscles in his left shoulder and the base of his neck was killing him and sending pain upward into his skull. He kept walking, trying to uncross his arms, trying to losing up.

Meditation was no use, he couldn't keep his mind off what he'd done to Granger, and that guilt wasn't at all what he felt when it came to Lance. Granger's question of when they'd broken up kept echoing in his head, and how he couldn't answer it because he couldn't even process the idea of them... over.

The fight in the dining room after Bandor had hit Granger. Keith should've been angry about Granger being punched, but instead he'd been angry at the idea he and Lance had such a secure promise to one another as marriage. It didn't matter to him what peasants of Arus might do, or kids around Pidge age in the capital city, who rather get a tattoo than pledge to a higher power their love, honor and fidelity to someone until the soul leaves their body.

He'd never liked it when people called them practically married and to think that they would have gone into a marriage, or call their relationship a marraige without actual intention to do so - It angered Keith. When he'd thought about it, he'd always thought everything that mattered in becoming a married couple with Lance. He'd always thought Lance would propose, never thought about doing it himself. They never talked about it like he'd yelled that night at everyone, including Lance. It'd never come up, had he'd been blaming Lance for not getting he was supposed to be the one to bring it up?

He could have done it himself. He'd been thinking about, thinking about mentioning the idea to gauge Lance's reaction when everything had started to fall apart. First distance because of work and obligation, then more distance from Lance who wasn't about to tell him what was going. Keith hated that understood now, so long after the fact Lance had been hurt about Keith putting work first, putting Allura first. But how did he take back all the stupidity now?

Especially when he laid more on top it, and Lance was not helping. Allura telling him that Lance had gone to his door countless time but never came in. Lance who never ran away from a problem he wanted to solve. Lance who fight all night to get the argument over with so it would over and done with; unless Keith wouldn't let him. Keith always regretting walking away from those fights, making them last longer. Lance hadn't barged in, to fix things, made it feel loud and clear he hadn't felt like it was worth the effort. Only it didn't match up to how angry he'd been from the start about Granger, to his words and actions since Granger arrived.

It didn't match up to how he'd kissed Keith back when Keith had kissed him; Keith turned, heat flaming his cheeks. He didn't know how his mind had remained in denial after that moment. He'd wanted to devour Lance the second he laid eyes on him by the lake, let alone naked and willing in his doorway. It'd been frustrating, it'd pissed him off and it'd felt so right. One sentence about someone who could be a threat and he'd been jealous... Allura. Allura was probably the only real threat in the universe to him and Lance. Lance preferred men, but now and again a woman captured his eye and Allura was just the right kind. Beautiful, smart, and strong. Keith frowned, had that been what Lance had been worried about way back when, with all the escorting? No? He shook his head, as he turned again in the circle he was pacing, but it was there now, in his head, having him wondering.

And Allura and Lance were late.

"Keith, you're giving me vertigo," Coran said.

Keith sighed and stopped. "Where are they?"

"I'm sure she's just waiting for him to finish his shower," Pidge said.

"He did really one, he smelled like fuel, dirt and sweat."

Keith hoped he didn't groan out loud, Lance always turned him on after a bike ride, granted he was usually just as sweaty, oily and dirty himself. He ran a hand through his hair, ended up on the skin on the back of his neck. He had to grow his hair out, he thought idly, but he squeezed the muscles where his neck and shoulder met to try to help them relax. It didn't do much good.

"We'll give them a few minutes than go on ahead, they can meet us there," Coran said.

"What!" Larmina yelled. "If I'm late you all stay, arms crossed, grimacing when I arrive and give me a lecture. Why do they get to be late? Lance stayed out all night, not answering his voltcom! Why doesn't he get a lecture!'

Keith sighed. "Because if there been an attack he would have answered, so we could get him to bring him to his lion."

"You weren't even there. You were ignoring you voltcom too, until they found you doing Tai Chi, no one knew where you were either. I don't get, because they broke up however many years ago..."

"WE. DIDN'T. BREAK. UP!" Keith shouted, then realized what he'd done when Larmina's eyes went huge on him, then narrowed and she looked ready to punch him. Which was just not an option, he narrowed his own eyes right back at her. She stepped back.

"Okay, I'm done trying to point out how much adults get away with now," Larmina said.

Hunk laughed, put his hands on her shoulders. "Come on, Larmina, let me be the first to buy you a Lion Sized Turkey leg, we just have to decide. Fried, or grilled..."

Coran shook his head at Keith, Keith could feel the disappointment Coran felt about his current actions waving off the older gentleman, Keith looked away. Pidge walked up him, handed him a box. "Here, this is a box of Christmas Cookies my brother sent me from Balto. He made them, they're shaped like ninja stars. Pretty good, eat one, remember the time of year it is,. and I don't know take deep breaths..." Pidge sighed. "I'm out of bad advice, but I'm glad you have figured out that you two didn't break up."

Keith took the box and found himself alone. He opened the box, Little Star of Bethelham, started to play and he found himself staring at sparkling bright ninja star cookies, and had to laugh at Chip's warped sense of humor.

~~.~~

"Lance? How long had you've had this ring?" Allura asked for a second time, holding the ring out to him in the palm of her hand.

"Long enough," Lance muttered, bending down and grabbing the box, he was about to take back the ring, when Allura palmed it, and grabbed the box with her other hand.

"Wedding bands too," She said, her voice pitching up, her eyes wide as she peered at the bands. She then took the ring and put it back in its slot in front of the two other rings. "This is Lyran silver... What is the stone in the ring?"

"It's nothing really, just Lyran granite."

"This is Lyran granite?" Allura said, taking the ring back out. She peered at it again. "It reminds me of Earth Onyx, only it has the red in it. I love how the red just darts across the black almost perfectly in the middle. It's..."

"Red lion against space."

Allura looked up. "I was beautiful. You've thought this out."

"No. I didn't," Lance muttered.

"The red in the granite, it's the magnetized part of Lryan rock?"

"Yeah. It's why all their metals have that pink hue," he said.

"When did you..."

"Does it matter, Allura," Lance said, walking to his closet. "I bought them, I engraved the damn ring that screamed Keith and me and I never proposed. Couldn't figure out a time between the being accused of cheating on him with Farla, other stupid arguments and then well you know what happened. Hell, we even forgot to really break up, we couldn't be bothered with each other enough...

Allura startled him then by grabbing him and hugging him. She squeezed her arms around him and then whacked him upside the back of his head before she stepped out of the embrace. "You two couldn't be bothered to break up because you didn't want to break up. You love each other. Passionately. And you are both the most stubborn, prideful and sometimes the most insecure men I've ever met! What you need to do, is make up with him. Bring the ring with you, it'd be a great conversation starter."

Lance stared at her, sometimes she said the most ridiculous things. "Right, Allura. Because after never talking about it and arguing the past two days all it will take is a proposal to make things all sparkles and moonbeams."

"Well, why do you think it has to be so complicated. Tie some mistletoe somewhere and kiss him into submission, then talk to him. I don't know! But do something!"

Lance started laughing, and shook his head. "First time I ever kissed him was under mistletoe. I had this whole plan. I tied it up on the door to my bedroom. Went to sneak some champagne from my parents, was going to get us kind of drunk, drag him up there and do it. I was too nervous to implement it sober."

Allura laughed. "So what happened, you were so drunk you missed his mouth."

"Please, slaphappy drunk I'm still smooth. No, I was sober. He went looking for me while I was on the hunt for the champagne. It was way harder to nab than I thought. Found him sitting under the damn mistletoe. No finagling necessary. So, I sat down next to him and kissed him. I barely remember it, the second kiss was way better, you know by the fourth kiss we..."

"Mistletoe and doorways can be arranged," Allura said, cutting him off with a blush but also with a devious grin.

"Allura it's still not that simple..." Lance said shaking his head.

"Then what is it?"

Lance sighed. "It's. Him and me. We screwed things up, I don't even know how to fix them. It's that he brought that guy here...Granger. And I think he knew it would blow up in his face on some level, but trust me he was denial until it happened. Keith's denial can run deep. It's that we haven't talked about us for years." He stopped talking and looked at her, the real reason threatening to make him cry, he could the tears prickling against the skin at the edges of his eyes. He ducked his head, turned away from Allura's damn empathetic face and blurted it out finally.

"It's that the damn jeweler from Lyra sent me an email about the rings arriving in the next postage supply run from Lyra to Arus. I read it, I was thrilled, I was thinking about how the hell do it, how I had stop acting like an ass. First thing was to come clean about Farla, like I should've earlier... But. He walked in the room and accused me of cheating on him right as I closed the computer after reading it. I see those rings, especially that ring." He pointed at the one Allura held between them in her right hand. "I think about how I was way to fucking late."

"But, you've kept it."

Lance ran his hands through his hair, looking at the ring, held between Allura's right index and thumb. "I don't know, why. I just shoved it in with stuff that matters, you know. I've looked at the box a time or two. Never opened it though. Could remember the ring perfectly though. It felt like it belonged to me, to give to Keith the second I saw it in the store. The granite is such a deep black like some of his damn moods, if he lets them get there. Or, you know how serious he can get, all caught up in work, in what's going on at the moment and what has to be done. Then there it is, that red streak, marring it all up."

"It takes it from merely pretty to exquisite," Allura said.

"Yeah, whatever..." Lance muttered. "It was us. It worked. Or, I thought it worked and I knew it was the right ring. At least I thought it did. I ended up buying it and the wedding bands that day."

"Why were you at Lyran jeweler?" Allura asked.

"I was helping Farla."

"With?" she pressed, getting to the point of her questions.

Lance laughed, feeling chagrinned. "Yeah, I never told anyone what I was helping Farla with, huh?"

"I'm sure it was important, I could tell at the time you were taking it seriously.."

"I was helping her get through the red tape. To marry a Garrison solider. This great girl stationed on Lyra. Farla asked me for help; first time anyone ever came to me for help on something so important. First time I realized I could use being part of the Voltron Force to help out someone too...My mom used her rank in the Air Force all the time do favors for people. I've seen you and Keith do it. Never even occurred to me I could do that too. At first I just wasn't telling because Farla asked to keep it quiet, and I didn't want to jinx it. Plus, I wanted to do it on my own, if I told Keith he'd keep butting in. He's so fucking bossy."

Allura laughed.

Lance rolled his eyes. "Yeah, I know you, know. Then I was miffed at him, and it was bugging him I had a secret, that I was taking calls from the Garrison on something. Was on the computer. I can't remember when I mentioned it was about Farla. Probably right before I went to Lyra to deliver the final paperwork. That was when Farla dragged me to the jeweler, to help her pick out the bracelet for Lydia - they do bracelets on Lyra rather than rings."

"Then Keith got it into his head you were having an affair with Farla," Allura sighed. "I wish he'd talked to me. I would have talked some sense to him."

Lance shrugged. "He probably wouldn't have listened. Don't know why, he's always been jealous, possessive. And you know, I might've been singing Farla's praises a bit. I was mad at him for being so busy, for always being with you..." Lance trailed off. "I was jealous, myself."

Allura shook her head. "Of me?"

Lance shrugged. "You are the only woman in the universe, I could be jealous of Allura."

Blushing, Allura shook her head, again. "As if you two have eyes for anyone else... He never looked at Granger when you were in the room. He was so wrong to invite him here, I hope he didn't hurt that man too much."

"Just another Kogane broken heart..." Lance laughed, looking at the ring and feeling sick to his stomach. "Never thought I'd be one of them, thought I was the lucky one."

"You are," Allura said. "Why did you have the rings out?"

"Was thinking about melting them in the volcano."

"Lance!"

He sighed and plucked the ring from between Allura's fingers. "I never would've. They'll go back in the closet."

"Talk..."

"Allura, what good will it do?" Lance felt the bitterness rise up again, his anger had been calming but Allura's insistence they needed to just talk was driving him crazy. He sighed, put the ring in the box and shoved it back up into his closet and then started to loudly look through his jeans. He didn't see one pair but pretended to be choosing between them.

"You're angry, he's angry, but you both have to get past it."

Lance rolled his eyes. "Allura, he invited another man here, you heard him after the explanation for why Bandor thought we were, what did he call it Bonded... He thought it was asinine."

"He was angry it wasn't true, if you ask me," Allura said.

Lance stared at her. "What?"

"It's what it looked like to me, and I know him pretty well Lance. He barely flinched when Bandor hit Granger. I expected him to be angrier about it but he didn't get angry until you told Bandor that you and Keith weren't together. Then he got more angry as we discussed the marriage laws... It was you, he yelled at. It was you two who had... I don't know what to call it."

"It was a fight."

"About how much you loved him? About how he didn't break up with you? Those aren't fighting words," Allura said with a smile.

Lance frowned. "Can I just go take my shower?" he asked her. The more she brought up that fight the more confused he got about it. What were they fighting about? What were they avoiding? He sighed.

"Oh, Goddess," Allura looked at her watch. "We're so late, Coran must've left without us. Larmina, is never going to let me hear the end of being late..." she sighed.

Lance laughed. "Tell, Larmina, adults are just unfair."

Allura nodded. "Sometimes, even to themselves."

~~.~~

Keith jumped up from the floor when Allura came into the room shouting.

He'd been sitting, wondering why it was him waiting for Allura and Lance. He was dreading seeing Lance, he was nibbling his third ninja star Christmas Cookie and contemplating just heading off to the festival when Allura ran into the room, tears running down her face.

"Keith, Keith, it's awful, quick, hurry up!"

"What, what is it?"

"I don't know what happened, I don't know what he was thinking...there is blood everywhere!" she screamed, running ahead of him.

Blood. Him. Lance? Keith over took her one stride and grabbed her. "What happened, tell me..."

"There isn't anytime, we have to hurry up, they said to get you..."

"They said to get me?"

"Yes, we have too," Allura gasped for air.

Keith ran ahead of her this time towards Lance's room, his heart in his ears, blood, Allura crying, someone telling her to hurry and get him. He didn't know what to think but he was envisioning nothing but pain and darkness forever... He slammed the code into the door, ran into the room and stopped still.

Everything was pristine. He could hear the shower running through the open bedroom door. He turned to the door in time to see Allura looking at him, with an apologetic smile. "Forgive me, but there was no other way to get you in the door," she said and she closed the door.

Keith blinked, he ran toward the door but it was too late he heard her via the intercom, because she wanted him to hear her.

"Code: Allura De Arus, Princess, Access 32987-7651. Keep door locked until further request of Allura De Arus, Princess, Access 32987-7651. I will not let you two out until you talk."

"What if their is an attack, Allura! This is unsafe!"

"I don't care. And of course if my planet is jeopardy I'll let you two idiots out. But until that is the case, get used to be in that room. You two are in love, you need to figure it out and make up and make out already. Lance already knows what I think, though seeing you and being locked in the room will be a surprise. I'm going to the festival."

Keith hit buttons though he knew it was no use, he opened the intercom and shouted after Allura. She was going to the festival, she'd locked him and Lance in Lance's room - in what used to be their room. He'd been trapped before, in cages, locked up - even on purpose once - but this...

He didn't know how to face Lance. He didn't know how to handle the mess he'd made out of things and he wasn't about to let Lance off the hook for his side of the problem. He'd made mistakes, he'd pushed Keith way and he hadn't done a thing on Keith's return to get Keith back. Instead he'd argued about who got to be in charge.

No. Keith never had felt trapped quite like this before, he also made a mental note that Allura was much more devious than he ever gave her credit for. His voltcom pinged and he hit the button. It was Pidge and Hunk faces, they were trying not to laugh in his face.

They ended up just pointed and nodding.

Keith groaned, they'd be no help then, they liked Allura's trap. "Great, thanks guys," he muttered and he shut down the communication.


	9. Chapter 10

**Note: **Petrichor is the smell after it rains on dust... for any non Doctor Who fans, it's where I learned the word. :-)

Chapter Ten

Lance stood under the hot spray of the shower, it was double the size of the rest of the teams shower. It fit two grown men, easily, well and was perfect for slamming Keith against the tiled walls. Thinking about it all now, Allura had given them the suite as a wedding gift, custom made. How dense were they? Not that he really thought Allura knew he slammed Keith against shower walls, he laughed a bit as the thought occurred to him, but then had to squeeze his eyes shut hard and shake his head.

_No thinking of naked Keith with that ass pushed up into the air_, he chastised himself and turned off the hot water, forcing a spray of ice cold water to pound over him and he shivered, felt for a second he might freeze into an icicle, before he turned off the water completely. It was turning into a daily shower habit... Had been since Keith got back, been worse the past few days. It'd been worse the few days, remembering what it was like to touch Keith, to be kissed by Keith, to be claimed by Keith.

"Of course then right afterward there is the instant declaration of the opposite. An exercise in extreme mixed signals," Lance said to himself talking out of the shower, grabbing a small towel to run through his hair and not bothering with one for around his waist. If more of his friends were still lurking around in his room they could deal with his balls.

He walked to his closet, started looking through his jeans and felt like he'd done this a million times already today. He sighed, thinking about Allura's well-meaning but way over simplified advice. He went to pull out an old raggedy pair, with holes at the knees he'd had since he was nineteen. Someday they were going to die on him but he wasn't tossing them until then, they made him look good. He might as well make Keith drool, if he couldn't do anything else, Lance thought idly. But as his hand fell on the fabric he heard something clink and muffled noise he couldn't place from the living area of his suite. He frowned, what the hell, what now was Allura looking through his DVDs for sex tapes to watch so she could prove they _Made Love_, and he should fight for it...he rolled his eyes and walked out into the room naked.

"Allura, what the hell do you want now?"

Keith stood up, holding Lance's old baseball trophy, that Lance had on his desk to be used as a paper weight, his eyes taking in Lance. Then he huffed. "Really? You think the Princess of Arus is your living room, and you walk out like that. You have no respect for her title, her standing, it's a wonder she puts up with..."

"Allura, would slap me if I started respecting her damn title, and stopped treating her like I treat everyone else... what the fuck are you doing here?" Lance asked, trying not to get hopes up.

"Allura locked me in."

Hopes burned. Lance sighed, rolled his eyes to his ceiling and walked over to his door. It wouldn't open, he tried everything including his override codes. "What the hell, she used her Princess Code didn't she?" Lance said, turning to look at Keith.

Keith nodded.

Lance started to walk back to his room.

"If you're going for your voltcom to contact Pidge or Hunk, I wouldn't bother. They contacted me but didn't say much but point and laugh."

Lance closed his eyes again, he felt he was doing that a lot, but counting to five or ten, worked better for him if he couldn't see. If he could shut out the outside and just focus on trying not to let his mouth and his anger overwhelm him. "I'll be right back," he muttered and walked into his room, back to his closet and he grabbed the raggedy pair of jeans and he hopped into them. Right now the last person he could deal with naked was Keith, he was vulnerable enough as it was, he thought.

He leaned against the threshold of his bedroom door, instead of walking into the living area, where Keith still stood by his desk, holding his trophy. "So, how'd she get you in here."

"Allura made it sound like you were grieviously injured and they'd told her to get me cause you were bleeding to death."

Lance rolled his eyes. "You fell for that?"

Keith eyes slid to the glass case that held all of Lance's model airplanes, spacecraft and various other ships that flew. He swallowed. "My theory was you punched that and opened your artery wide open. Allura, only gave me enough information for me think the worst."

Lance shrugged, the theory was sound, he'd been angry enough lately to punch the damn glass case. "You're great at thinking the worst, that's for sure."

"What is that supposed to mean?"

Lance didn't answer, he moved into his kitchen and opened his refrigerator. "Well, we have a block of cheese, some bread, and one slice of pizza. Oh, and a lot of beer," he pulled out two beers.

"You should eat better."

"You should fuck off," Lance mumbled.

"What?"

Lance turned around. "So, when is she letting us out?"

"When we've worked things out or, Arus is under attack and they need us."

"Bring on Lotor," Lance said, opening the two beer bottles on the counter. Then he walked into his living room, handed Keith one of the bottles.

Keith took it but didn't say anything for a long time. Then he put the trophy back down, fiddled with it for a bit, before he decided it was in the right spot, and looked back up. "So...uh, Granger, he uh..."

"Left. I know."

Keith nodded. "Uh, I wasn't going to say that."

"Really?"

"No. I screwed..."

"Really don't want to know," Lance snapped walking past Keith to sit down on his leather couch. He grabbed his remote and turned on the television, started to flick through channels.

"Lance," Keith said, frustration and anger loud in his voice. "I'm trying to apologize here."

Lance raised an eyebrow. His stomach twisted but he didn't have high hopes he'd like the apology, there was no way Keith was going to admit to the huge mistake of inviting another man to the Castle because he still had feelings for Lance. Lance knew that was true it was just unlike Allura and the rest of their friends he wasn't sure it was enough.

"I handled that all wrong. I should have giving you more time, I should have gone there..." Keith trailed off, turned around drinking out of his bottle of beer and stared out the window.

Lance hated it when he was right about things he didn't want to happen. No matter what people said, about him never hating it when he was right. "Whatever."

Keith spun around. "Why do you even care?"

"Why do..." Lance started to spit out but he stopped. He wasn't going to repeat himself. "Did you a thing I said last night?"

Keith kept eye contact, his facial muscles seemed to soften before they hardened again and Lance once again saw the back of Keith's head. "I heard it, haven't seen it."

"Yeah, cause me an angry jealous asshole since he showed up has been so unobvious."

Keith winced. "Not what I meant."

"Then what?"

"Why the hell didn't you barge in, Lance? Why were you thinking about asking to come in, and then why the fuck did walk away?"

Lance rolled his eyes, Allura had said Keith had focused on that when she let it slip. "I didn't think I'd be welcome."

"Like something like that ever stopped you from going after what you want," Keith spat out.

"Right, and you were giving me so many signs Keith that you wanted me barging into your new quarters. You came home, hugged Allura, smiled at everyone and started accusing me of being too reckless to lead the team. Like I hadn't been leading it the entire time you were gone."

"You only gave a damn about your standing with the team. Leadership go to your fucking head."

"Please, like you don't have an ego that's bigger than mine underneath that shy, modest act."

"You were acting like possessive selfish jerk about me usurping some supposed power..."

"Supposed!" Lance yelled, jumping to his feet. "Where the hell were you when I was here. Picking up all the pieces and running a fucking flight school!"

"Alone!" Keith yelled.

Lance shut his mouth, the words that his brain had at the ready, expecting a few possible reactions from Keith were all blown to hell. That wasn't the response he'd been expecting. Lance shook his head, confused. "Alone? Keith, you didn't need to be alone out there. You could have contacted us anytime. Pidge's system was full proof. You were the one who would only contact us once in awhile, and not once did you contact me directly."

"Goes both ways, Lance."

Lance rolled his eyes. "You know maybe you don't recall this, but you were the one who accused me of cheating. Which wasn't happening, I think even you have figured that out by now."

Keith looked down, hand coming up to run down the back of his neck, where it used to tangle into his hair. Lance had to force himself not to smile at the nervous gesture, because it wasn't endearing, it wasn't cute...there was nothing sexy about it. Nope. Keith dropped his bottle of beer onto Lance's desk, walked closer to where Lance was standing and looked up.

His dark blue eyes showed the guilt, the shame he felt about the past accusation, Lance swallowed. That was something anyway, but he clenched his jaw. It'd been too long, so long and there was Granger, there was so much - nothing, before that. "I met Lydia," Keith said, shocking him.

Lance's eyes widened. "Really?"

"I got in trouble on Lyra...minor thing but I had no choice, I had to swallow my pride and call Farla for a favor." Keith looked up at the ceiling, Lance could almost see the thought bubble form that said, _I'd like the room to swallow me whole now._ "Instead of Farla walking through the door though to rescue was this Garrison officer... I thought she'd turned me in."

Lance scoffed. "As if..."

Keith held up his hand. "But Lydia, the second she could handed me a note. It said, _Couldn't make it but you can trust my wife. Farla._"

Lance raised his eyebrows.

"Lydia got me out, it was fine." Keith said. "I, uh, I had to ask..."

"How long?"

"Yeah, she told me their wedding date and said it was all thanks to you. You helped Farla and her get through all the red tape and called in a few favors. It...kind of clicked into place."

"Yeah, I'm bet it did," Lance said dryly.

"Lance.."

"When was this?" Lance asked.

"Two years ago," Keith said, voice so low Lance barely heard him. He kind of wished he hadn't heard him.

"Couldn't contact me?"

"I was pissed off."

"Of course you were."

"You had me thinking you were cheating on me, and you were just doing a favor. I asked Pidge and Hunk a few questions, they had no idea Farla was married."

Lance shrugged. "I was pissed at the time, I just never told anyone what the truth was. Since the only person I wanted to tell, wouldn't listen."

"I thought you were lying."

"Right, cause I lie to you so often."

"You went to Lyra, more than once, then their was that trip to Earth. I... You weren't talking to me..."

"You accused me of cheating Keith, when..." Lance clamped his mouth shut.

"You did it on purpose," Keith spat out. "You were pissing me off on purpose."

"Yeah, well, I wanted to see if you remembered I existed. I didn't think it'd turn into you showing me how little you trusted me."

Keith startled.

Lance threw up his hands, spilling beer out of his bottle, reminding him it was still there in his hand. He gulped down a few mouth full, then put it down on his coffee table. He went back to his couch and sat down. Started to flick through the channels again, he felt Keith's weight join him on the couch.

"I don't distrust you."

"I hear a but."

"I...You don't know what it's like, having you as a boyfriend."

Lance turned to face Keith, staring at him. "Great, let's here this crap."

"It's not... Do you know how many times after meeting us, women came up to me to ask if you had a girlfriend?"

"Probably the same damn about of times it happened to me about you."

Keith's eyes widened.

Lance laughed. "One thing you never got Keith was you're hotter than hell. People drool over you."

"That's you," Keith said.

"Well, me too. But, you, a lot. I was threatening guys and telling women, you were taken by me all the fucking time. Always laughed when the girl or guy would then look me up and down and offer a threesome, best ones really. It was a good laugh."

Keith blushed, mouth opened and he sighed. "I hated that."

Lance shrugged.

"No fucking way I was sharing you."

Lance closed his eyes, ten, nine, eight... He couldn't handle this, the fighting, the mixed signals. four, three, two... "Keith, I..." his voice broke and he had to look away from Keith. "I can't do this," he stood up and walked into the kitchen. Opening the cupboard under his sink he pulled out the small tool box with household items. "We're trained Garrison soldiers. We can break out of fucking room."

Keith had stayed on the couch, followed him only with his eyes and he was staring at Lance now. His eyes darting from the tool box to Lance's abs. Back and forth, his tongue poked out he nodded. "Right. Let's be soldiers," he said, but Lance heard the bitterness.

Lance dropped the box on the floor. It thunked, even against the carpeting, Keith's eyes widened in surprise. "Allura, keeps telling me if we talk we'll straighten things out."

Keith laughed, it was a similar hollow, upset laughter that Lance understood so well. "Right."

"It's why were locked in here. She was telling me and again and again, talk to him Lance..." Lance sighed.

"I've heard the advice."

"Pidge and Hunk are no better," Lance muttered.

"I've noticed."

"So, uh... since they outnumber us. Want to try it?" Lance asked with a shrug.

Keith gave him a long look and nodded. "Uh, how?"

"Uh, I don't know," Lance said.

"Well, me either." Keith said.

Lance sighed. "I told her we didn't do talking."

"We should've."

Lance picked up on the tone, there, Keith was always trying to get him to talk a bit more to him about feelings and things. Lance liked showing Keith how he felt, how much he loved him with his actions, with his tongue against skin instead of the roof of his own mouth. It was the tattoos, it was pushing Keith against walls in public and stealing a kiss. It was teasing him and making him blush about how gorgeous he was in public. Because the guy never did get it... He was a fucking God.

"I'm sorry," Lance heard himself saying before his mind caught up with his heart and his mouth.

"You are?"

Lance wanted the room to swallow him now, he moved over to his desk, pushed the papers to the side and sat down on it rather than at it. He stared at Keith, in a pair of old jeans himself, blue henley that matched his eyes. He wanted him, he thought more than ever he needed him, it's why he'd been in front of Keith's door, wanting to drag back here to their room since he came back so many times. But he didn't think Keith wanted back here... It made him insecure, Lance hated feeling insecure. Confident and full of himself was his default, he liked it that way but Keith always put him in situations, placed him moments where wasn't as sure and he had to fight through a wave of complete lack of self-confidence.

"Allura said I should waylay you under some mistletoe."

Keith looked up the ceiling.

"I don't think she had time, she wasn't plotting when she left me to shower. I would seen it..." Lance said, thinking he thought he'd have noticed it anyway. He'd taught the girl how to be a devious prank in the first place.

Keith eyes came down and landed on Lance, their gazes connected. Keith smiled. "I was thinking about...our first kiss yesterday."

"That before or after you kissed me?" Lance asked.

Keith sat up, stood up and started walking toward Lance. Lance stayed where he was, sitting on his desk, mostly leaning. "It was before, way before..." Keith admitted.

"Granger must have loved that."

"He wanted...he wanted something I want. I talked myself into thinking I could do it with him."

Lance shook his head. "Keith, you always could rationalize yourself into the stupidest things. Like that time you talk yourself into going to the prom with that poor geeky girl who had crush on you and then she thought you two were dating...and you had to tell her you were gay and wanted to go with her as her friend. And it all blew up and we ended up having to find her after she ran away embarrassed and her father was threatening to murder you for upsetting his daughter."

Keith blushed. "You swore never to mention that again."

"It seemed like a good correlation to the stupidity of Granger. So what is it?"

"What?"

"What did he want that you want, that you thought you could settle for with him?"

"I don't think it matters right now, I think... He was the one to make me realize that if you and I ever officially broke up, it was down in the gym after I came to find you because you'd seen Granger first."

Lance shuddered, the thought physically hit him as wrong. It just was, he thought. If they had to be stuck in this fucking limbo for life, fine. But it'd be better than that, anything would be better than that. "Fuck no," he hissed out without thought.

"I couldn't deal with it," Keith said. "That and then grabbing you, feeling jealous about Allura... it was..."

"What?" Lance asked, watching as Keith's hands grabbed his left hand, the one he'd mangled the most on the punching bag. Keith pulled his arm closer to him, his fingers skimmed over the raw, newer skin. Lance held his breath.

"I should've realized I was lying to myself sooner. It shouldn't have..."

Lance swallowed, he couldn't be this close to Keith and not react and he thought Keith was right, he should have caught the ride on the self-awareness train a hell of a lot sooner. "I wanted to barge in, Keith," he said. "I wanted you to stay here, I didn't want to stop..." he finished his sentence his lips brushing against Keith's adam's apple.

Keith groaned and Lance looked up, saw dark eyes and then Keith's lips against his. He tasted cookies, good cookies and underneath that there was his Keith, thunder, lightning and pretichor. He inhaled deeply, breathing out against Keith's jaw, kissing him. "Who made those cookies..."

"Chip. Ninja stars..." Keith murmured. "Box played Little Town of Bethlehem."

"Amen," Lance whispered no longer thinking about cookies he pulled at Keith's shirt but still kissing his neck.

Keith lifted his arms, creating way too much space between them. Lance shook his head, hurriedly took off the shirt and pulled Keith down over him, backing up, putting more of his own ass onto the desk. Keith crawled over him, hands on the button of Lance's the jeans, which flicked opened with barely a touch because the jeans were so worn.


	10. Chapter 11

Chapter Eleven

Lance's tongue dragged against the skin of Keith's throat, over his adam's apple, up the underside of his chin, teeth and lips nipping, his back arching, hips off the desk as Keith pulled and the old jeans just slid off of him. Keith stopped when Lance's penis was free, erect and hard against his stomach, obscuring Keith's name which was red and dark against his pale skin.

Keith dragged his thumb, nail-side down up Lance's erection. Lance hissed, the mouth that was latched onto Keith's jawline that had been all suction, turned into a bite. Keith lowered his own mouth onto Lance's jaw, licking, tasting, savoring. "Good, so fucking good..." he muttered, his hand gripping around Lance's cock, starting a tight slide up and down.

Lance whimpered, moaned, thrust into Keith's grip and reaching with long arms, pulled Keith's jean's open, fast and easy. Keith felt Lance's hands against his skin, gripping against his hips, pushing into the muscle, moving down and around toward his ass. His hands were freezing. They were always cold, no matter how hot the rest of him got his feet and his hands always cold, and Keith had missed it, he'd missed it more than he remembered, more than he knew. Biting at Lance's neck the words tumbled out. "Missed your hands, cold and all."

Lance's hands left his ass, found his shoulders and pushed hard. "This desk is killing my ass, bedroom," he said.

Keith nodded, stroked Lance's cock twice more with a twist before letting go, though, their gazes still locked, a half smirk on his face as Lance's eyes rolled back for a brief second. Lance grinned at him and shook his head. "Asshole," he muttered, shoving Keith back to slide off the desk, his hand slapping Keith's ass, directly over where the _mine_ was inked into Keith's skin.

Keith watched Lance kick off his jeans completely as he walked, grinned, at the red marks from the wood on Lance's skin across his ass, but he took his time. He took off his boots, toed off his own jeans and then walked into the bedroom. Lance was standing by the bed, back to Keith, shoulders hunched.

Keith drew in a breath, his heart was in his ears, he heard his own voice in his head. It was rational though angry, it was telling him they hadn't worked anything out, they hadn't solved anything. But he wanted Lance, one of the things that him aggravated was he didn't want to contemplate a break up. The idea of finality in his relationship with Lance, it wasn't a possibility, it just wasn't.

Lance was standing there naked, beautiful, vulnerable. He'd bled for Keith, he'd shouted out his love, sounding pissed as hell about it but it was the truth - Keith believed it. His walked up behind Lance, pressing his whole front to Lance's back, hands sliding up his back, onto his shoulders. He pressed his mouth against Lance's left ear, letting his lips hit as he spoke, "I never let anyone fuck me. I couldn't, it was too... I couldn't let anyone else touch me like you do. Didn't trust them, couldn't love them..."

Lance whipped around, hands on Keith's face, mouth against him, tongue inside his mouth, mapping it with is tongue, down Keith's throat, against the roof of his mouth, against his teeth. His hands fell Keith hips, around to his ass, grabbing his buttocks pulling Keith into him, stepping them back, making them fall onto the bed.

"I told the truth," Lance gasped, out of breath, breaking away from Keith's mouth, lips falling back onto his jaw, capturing his mouth again. "Never brought anyone here, not here, never here. This is our bed, our home, our planet; it was all one night stands, with guys who were never strong enough," Lance grabbed Keith's hands pulled his arms over his head, pushed his wrists down against he bed, leaned over Keith, challenge darkening his eyes.

Keith swallowed, under Lance, pinned down, pushed down he didn't want fight for control but he knew he didn't have to answer the challenge. He wrapped his legs around Lance's waist, tight enough to hurt, hard enough to bruise, a reminder he could he switch their positions in two seconds if he wanted to. _If he wanted to._

Lance let out a sound that reminded Keith of when Black seemed to purr in his mind at certain speeds, his grin seemed feral and he stared down at Keith, eyes dark, and the grin faded, his cheek muscles clenched.

"You brought a fucking other man into our home," Lance said.

Keith's stomach twisted, guilt, shame, confusion because a part of him wasn't ready to face why he'd done it. He nodded.

"Say it," Lance said, mouth on Keith's jaw, tongue out and dragging against his skin. "Admit, Keith."

"I did, I asked him here."

"To fuck you, you were going to let him fuck you - Finally. That's what he was thinking, right?"

Keith shuddered, both at the question and at Lance's mouth against his throat, the feeling of teeth and he whined, he knew he whined into it. He closed his eyes, felt his cock bumping against Lance's, trapped between their stomachs, and it was easy to realize then it wouldn't have happened. He would have done the same thing he always did to Granger.

"It was implied in the invitation but I wouldn't have let it happen," Keith managed to mutter out between hard kisses, and bites to his jaw and throat. "Any of those one nights turn into more..."

"Fucked a few more than once, took them back to my apartment."

"Apartment," Keith growled. His hands pressing up against Lance's hold.

"No," Lance snapped, thrusting his tongue into Keith's mouth.

"What apartment?" Keith muttered, arching up, tightening his legs around Lance again a reminder. "Never here but you had somewhere on the side - still have it?"

"What? Don't trust me?" Lance asked, pulling away but keeping his grip on Keith's wrists. "Stay," he ordered. Letting go, leaving the bed.

Keith watched him with his eyes, saw him opening the drawer - the same drawer as always, so many times, so many memories, he caught sight of things he'd bought, things he'd used on Lance, things Lance used on him. He saw the tube of lubrication come out, new and unopened and he swallowed.

"I trust you," he whispered.

Lance was back on the bed, on his knees, the tube on the bed, unopened. He stared at Keith, eyes wide and open and he nodded. "It won't sell, bad economy for real estate," he stroked his cock, eyes on Keith's mouth then his erection.

Keith moved, faster than he had in a long time when not in a fight for his life. Lance pinned under him down, his hands on Lance's hips, leaving a red hand print behind - he knew from experience. He tongued the tattoo, the flames under the name, the symbol for fire, for passion, then he took the head of Lance's cock his mouth.

Nothing tasted better. Leather, and the scent of firewood on the fire, he always had before the jacket, before Red Lion. They'd been things that slotted into place, Keith had always thought, pieces of Lance that had been found, not things that became part of Lance. Lance's hands were against his skull, pushing, and his voice was in his ears.

"Suck it, suck it baby and I'm going to fuck you so hard," Lance muttered. "Missed your mouth, no one as good you, not any of them...God, those hands, knew they could break through rock when I was sixteen, love them wrapped around my cock, tight, sliding, fucking...good. Keith..."

Keith hummed, his mind at ease in a way he hadn't been in so long, for so long. He'd been daft, both them so wrong-headed. He felt lost, confused for way to long, they had needed to just touch, fight, fuck. Keith popped his mouth off the tip of Lance's cock, "Touch me," he said, moving then keeping his hand on Lance, so they moved into the sixty-nine position. Lance's tongue was in his ass, the instant Keith had his lips back around Lance's penis.

~~.~~

"What was it?" Lance asked, leaning to his side, bumping his nose into Keith's as Keith moved to face him.

"What was what?" Keith asked, out breath, his cheeks flushed.

"That thing you thought Granger could give you, that you were going to try to settle with him?" Lance asked, he tried to keep the bitterness out of his tone but he failed horribly.

Keith closed his eyes, hand reaching out and grabbing onto Lance's waist, tight hold to keep him in place, in the bed, in their bed. Lance felt a weight leave his shoulders, but there were still many there, pushing down, worrying him.

"I'm not going anywhere, I'm barging in now, I get it, you want me in," Lance said.

Keith's eyes opened. "Never wanted you out, never should have thought you were cheating on me. But you were purposely trying to piss me off."

"I was, I was jealous of Allura, I was jealous of fucking Garrison paperwork. I get that better now, it never ends. I think they make up crap just to make up grunt work..."

Keith laughed. "Maybe..."

"Keith?" Lance asked, bringing it back to his question. "What was it?"

Keith sighed. "I figured it out, a lot of it all out...right before I came."

"You're the only man I know who can think clearly while being fucked."

"It clears out the excess."

"It clears out your neurotic need to over think," Lance muttered, raking his hand into Keith's hair and frowning. "I never should've teased you about the mullet..."

Keith grinned. "So, I can grow it back?"

"Hell, no, just grow this out," Lance laughed. "You didn't have to go so damn short."

"Allura, told them what to do," Keith whined.

"Blaming the Princess?"

Keith grinned but then it faded, and he grabbed Lance's hand, ran his thumb over the knuckles, and he sighed. "I kept seeing you, standing there, your back turned. Bleeding."

Lance sucked in a breath. "Blindside me like that, what did you think..."

"We aren't all that smart..." Keith muttered.

"No, think Allura meant this as talking?"

Keith rolled his eyes. "This yes, what we did before now, no. It, Granger... he had a plan."

"A plan?"

"His bar, he wanted out. He's got a bank account, he puts money in every month, whatever he has over, whatever he can afford to put into it. It's not for retirement, it's for another life. One he wants to share with someone. In a small town, in a house, with a kid or two..."

Lance's throat went dry, the hand Keith held started to try to form a fist but Keith kissed the broken skin and some of the fury ran out of him but not all of it. "Marriage, fucking marriage. That was what it was?"

Keith looked up. "We never talked about it, and I hated it when people called us practically married, you know that... It was, I got so mad as Bandor and Allura were going on and on. Our tattoos where a commitment to each other, but it they weren't marriage. Not us vowing, not us with our families, all our families. Not making that pledge, that bond.. that step. I wanted, I wanted to back then bring it up but I was afraid you'd fly away..."

Lance gritted his teeth.

"Granger, he got tired of me pushing him away, controlling every thing, telling him it was just sex and he told me. He told me he wanted me in that house with the kid or two. He told me he'd wait for me to figure out what it was that holding me back..."

Lance laughed. "You skipped that part before you called him."

"I lie to myself well."

"Only way you do lie well," Lance said.

"I didn't really know, it was...it was there but I wasn't letting myself think it. I wanted more from us, I wanted you ask me," Keith laughed nervously. "But it was this insecure thing in the back of my mind and I never really hit me until now. Until I brought Granger here because I knew he was offering solid commitment, and then Bandor..."

"Right," Lance said, his eyes moving to the closet.

"What?"

"I..." Lance sighed. "See, this is one of those situations, when it's... if I do this now, does it look like I'm appeasing you, or do you understand it's just true."

Keith stared at him.

Lance sighed, pulled his hand free and started to move but the hand Keith at on his hip, pressed down. "Baby, I'm not going far."

Keith let go. Lance grinned, he hurried to the closet, picked up the box - the damn box - and he the he crashed back down on the bed. Where he'd been before, Keith's hand grabbing onto his him again, his own free hand, grabbing Keith's bicep. He put the box on the bed, in the small tiny space between them.

"What is that?" Keith said, eyeing the box, his voice low.

"Open it," Lance said, nervous and he held his breath and as Keith let go of him, took the box and sat up, away from him, back against the headboard. He opened it, stared at the three rings in the box and pulled out the one of Lyran Granite and Silver. Lance held his breathe as Keith studied as he took in the black stone between the thin silver rim, then saw the streak of red. He saw Keith's eyes widen as he found the engraving in the inside.

"Keith, ask me when I knew I loved you, and know it's for keeps," Keith read out loud, and his eyes fell on Lance.

"We were seventeen, I don't remember much else about the day. Can't tell if it was a weekend or not, but we were in your parents den. It was raining, downpour was hitting the windows, and your sister was there, so we couldn't do anything..." Lance laughed. "I remember hating that we were sitting next to each other we couldn't touch, couldn't kiss, couldn't get naked... And then you looked at me and gave me this shy half-smile. First time you have me that smile, that knowing, intimate, half-smile of you knowing what I'm thinking and yeah your there too. Knew I loved then, been in love with you since... just as stupidly."

"Loved you then too, knew it then too, hit me way before then though. Hit me when i was pissed off at you for being such an asshole about something when we were fifteen. Before I told you I was into boys, before you told me..." Keith laughed. "Lance, this ring?"

"I bought it when I was being an asshole, when I was getting back at you for putting Work and Chaperoing Allura duties ahead of me instead of just yelling at you about it for once, instead of just working out the argument. Then you... you accused me of cheating and I got madder, prideful, hurt you didn't trust me."

"I trust you," Keith said. "I didn't...it was...I don't...fuck."

Lance laughed, and he took the ring, Keith's, "Hey," as it left his fingers gave him a boost and he smiled. "So, here is the thing... we aren't ready to get married, we have a lot to figure out and a lot more angry sex to have..."

Keith laughed.

"But, uh, wanna get engaged?" Lance asked, grabbing Keith's left hand.

"Put on me already," Keith said.

Lance leaned forward, kissed Keith as he slipped the ring on. The second the ring was secure on Keith's finger, Keith flipped them so Lance was pinned under him and he stared down at him and smiled that shy half smile. "How long to you think they're going to leave us in this room?" he asked.

Lance grinned up at him. He glanced at his alarm clock, it'd been only a little over an hour... Really? He laughed at how little time it took once they'd finally started dealing with each other but he sighed. He knew they had a lot to work out, but they had a start. "Um, I thinking Allura's expecting us to be really stubborn."

"Hmm," Keith said, starting to kiss Lance's chest.

"So, uh.." Lance dug his nails into Keith's scalp. "We probably have until tomorrow morning, maybe early afternoon."

"You mean, Christmas Eve."

"What?"

"Tomorrow is Christmas Eve," Keith whispered into his ear, kissing his cheek and then his mouth again.

"Merry Christmas Eve," Lance said trying to get Keith to land on his mouth and stay there.

"Merry Christmas."

"Oh, hell yeah, let's pretend to hate each other still until Christmas," Lance laughed.

The End.


End file.
